A new framework for the analysis of solutions for privacy- enhanced Internet commerce

In order to examine the emerging market for privacy-enhancing service in Internet commerce it is critical to examine the relationship between privacy, security, and commerce. In order to function, a privacy-protecting technology must have a coherent trust model, a sustainable business plan, and a solid design for security. Yet, the sustainability of business plans can vary across regulatory regimes and concepts of privacy vary between cultures. Furthermore, privacy can be understood as a right of property, autonomy or seclusion. This paper presents a new framework to assess the suitability and effectiveness of business approaches to privacy and tests it analyzing six well-known systems: Zero Knowledge, Incogno SafeZone, Privada Control, iPrivacy, Passport, and the Anonymizer. We have specifically chosen not to examine smart-card based approaches, such as the American Express Blue. Each system is examined based on its underlying conception of privacy (seclusion, autonomy, property); ACID characteristics (atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability); general business plan; consumer switching cost; availability or openness of software; usability and accessibility. This paper argues that these elements together illustrate the economic, privacy, and security implications of any one system. The analyzes can encompass the context generated by bias and ontology in the solution and the way in which -by the interaction of its technological and business dimensionsit creates realities, rule-setting and reaches minimum standards of integrity, nonrepudiation, confidentiality, reliability, authentication and security in their search for privacy. This work presents the framework, apply it to well-known systems, and offers the results not only as an examination of the privacy-enhancing commerce systems themselves, but also as an implicit commentary on the value of the framework developed. The framework: an overview Osorio (2001) discuss the way in which technologies are designed as representations of new or improved realities in order to accomplish an objective. Thus, technological 1 Carlos A. Osorio is Research Associate at the Information Technologies Group at Harvard University’s Center for International Development, and Visiting Scientist at MIT Media Lab. I appreciate the comments and suggestions of Prof. Jean Camp, from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. I, however, remain the sole responsible for any errors.