Question: One of the main issues in the Netherlands, especially amongst aspiring e-commerce entrepreneurs, is the question of security. How do You think the security of internet-payments can be guaranteed?

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Jeanette Hofmann - posted on 2000-10-04 14:56:36 I don't think that it can be guaranteed. And I don't expect e-commerce to become as secure and trustful as the mom-and-pop-store where I buy milk and bread. As Alf has pointed out, security is a task to be taken care of by the application level. It is therefore beyond ICANN's scope. Andy Mueller-Maguhn - posted on 2000-10-02 04:28:10 Technical security is an illusion. To be able to run secure transactions/payments through the unsecure internet (based on tcp/ip v4) is a combination of technical, organizatorial and legal measures. If companies want to use the internetīs structure for secure applications, it is their responsibility to name the risks and find a legal and aedequate handling of the it. So, this is not an ICANN issue. ICANN scope is to organize the free flow of information, names, numbers and - ok - the implementation of new protocols which also follow the rising security awareness (and crypto needs). Alf Hansen - posted on 2000-09-28 22:41:20 The guarantee must be made on the application level. The network can never guarantee an economic transaction. This has to be done by the application. The network should guarantee that the right parties are communicating, and ICANN is providing the basis for such a guarantee. By following the ICANN framework, the Internet Service Providers will be able to offer such a guarantee to their customers. DNS-SEC (Secure Domain Name System) will be a key factor. I see in the end a secure DNS infrastructure where all zone files are signed and the Internet Service Providers will be able to guarantee that the communicating parties are real.