Abstract :
To increase confidence in commercial transactions over the Web where the transacting parties are invisible to each other, we need not just new protocols but also new transaction processes. One solution is to enlist a third party, referred to here as a trust service provider (TSP), to act as an Internet-based intermediary that assumes responsibility for a smooth transaction. The TSP is known and trusted by both customer and merchant and makes purchases on behalf of the one and conveys the goods on behalf of the other. The article describes a proposal for a trust Web model based on a distributed search algorithm and a network of trusted intermediaries that can establish a trusted channel through which terminal transacting parties deal virtually directly and risk-free with each other. The author has developed a CORBA-based implementation of the trust-path building algorithm and is currently testing its performance. The actual version of the system can be found at: http://faculty.uaeu.ac.ae/~atif/research/ecommerce/ec.html
Keywords :
Internet; data privacy; distributed algorithms; distributed object management; electronic commerce; information resources; information retrieval; CORBA-based implementation; Internet-based intermediaries; commercial transactions; consumer confidence; distributed search algorithm; e-commerce trust; merchant confidence; terminal transacting parties; third party; transacting parties; transaction processes; trust Web model; trust service provider; trust-path building algorithm; trusted channel; Buildings; Credit cards; IP networks; Information security; Intelligent networks; Proposals; Protocols; Sockets; Testing; Web and internet services;
