From security to trust-creating confidence to trade electronically

The Internet is widely predicted to revolutionise commerce over the next few years. However, the full potential of e-Commerce will only be realised if buyers and sellers have the confidence to trade electronically. Concerns over the security of the Internet, much hyped by the media, have done little to reassure users that the Internet is a safe place to trade. These concerns must clearly be addressed if e-Commerce is to prosper. However, commercial transactions ultimately rely on the establishment of trust and co-operation between buyers and sellers, not just the security of the trading environment. This paper therefore first outlines some of the technologies which are being developed to address security concerns and then move on to discuss how these can be applied to facilitate trust in electronic trading.