Taskie !How to get task done well!

?Secure and Trustworthy E-Business (6)Filed Under: General

If the information-communications systems are used for day-to-day business and private interests – to buy consumer goods, submit tax forms or to send confidential messages – there will ultimately be the need for a digital identity. Other existing solutions – identification using credit card numbers, etc. – are simply makeshift solutions that are being used temporarily in certain areas. Normally speaking, identity is something very complex. It does not merely refer to name, date of birth, color of eyes and all those other features contained in personal identification documents, but also means a person’s entire personality, background and integrity.

Digital identity means considerably less than all these everyday meanings: first of all, that a person owns and uses a digital ID – in other words, an ID expressed in zeros and ones that can be transmitted via the Internet (or any other data network). This ID is digital or is also termed an electronic certificate. It confirms not just name and e-mail address of a person, but may also confirm other information – the name of company where a person is working, etc. – and the validity of the digital signature.

When a machine or a person issues someone with a certificate, this is confirmation of the existence of this person, including the name and one or two other details. This identity is invaluable for the entire digital economy – it forms a foundation for trust. But whether this person is honest, creditworthy or reliable, or whether the machine is operated by a reputable company – i.e., what in fact belongs to identity in a broader sense of the word – remains unknown.

Nevertheless, this manner of ensuring reliability is also indispensable for the digital economy. This is carried out using other means, beyond the scope of electronic signature technologies. In the case of companies with a good Web presence – with a shop system,  SSL, credentials, supplier brand, general terms and conditions, quality labels, etc. – this is a good indication of their reliability, and the legislator has provided for legal provisions (remote sales law, EU e-commerce guideline, etc.).

Taken From : Digital Economy – Impacts, Influences and Challenges