Deploying a Secure Cyberbazaar by adding Trust on Commercial Transactions

Traditional business practice depends on trust relations between the transacting parties. One of the most important aspects of this trust is the quality of the offered services or products. The Web currently constitutes an enabler for Electronic Commerce, providing a global transaction platform that does not require physical presence. However, transferring trust from the physical world to the electronic one is a process that requires a trust infrastructure to be provided by the electronic world. We believe that current infrastructure models based on Trusted Third Parties can be enhanced. We introduce the notion of Digital Seals and we provide a mechanism for transferring the trust placed by users to companies in the physical world, to the electronic one.