1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic commerce, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for authenticating and verifying data related to electronic transactions.
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2. Background Art
Electronic commerce via distributed network environments such as the internet and intranets has the potential for replacing many forms of traditional commerce. One factor impeding the growth of electronic commerce is a concern over the security of transactions conducted via the internet. This concern stems in part from the difficulty of providing verification and accountability via the internet. It is easy for legitimate and illegitimate businesses alike to set up web sites to solicit business over the internet. Accordingly, there is a degree of uncertainty about the identity and legitimacy of any business offering goods or services via an internet web page and about the authenticity of data related to on-line transactions. Customers are wary about purchasing goods or services and sending confidential information such as credit card numbers to internet based businesses without a degree of certainty as to the authenticity and legitimacy of an internet merchant.