Internet – How do we build trust?

The Internet, which is a global and complex infrastructure, is a mechanism for information sharing and a medium for exchanging information irrespective of geographical location. It has revolutionized today’s world by taking communication and information technology to great heights. Although new opportunities/technology like the worldwide web, electronic mail, discussion board and newsgroups have been created there is some level of unpredictable fear as well. Changes will introduce new services of real time transport like audio and video streams, powerful computing and communications like two-way pagers and cellular phones and new applications like Internet telephones and televisions. Trust, authentication and security are aspects that will come to the forefront more and more as these compelling end-user capabilities gain popularity. In this paper, we address security issues both from a technical as well as from a regulation point of view and try to consolidate and present factors involved in developing trust in Internet commerce. We identify and clarify old and emerging concepts and consider how regulating the Internet as public space highlights/brings up public policies of the future regarding Internet governance