Conducting E-Business Anonymously

Abstract

In our society today, conducting business anonymously verges on the Herculean or even Sisyphean.1 If a transaction is not barter or cash, keeping the buyer anonymous poses challenges even without the additional elements inherent in electronic commerce. The conduct of business electronically (“E-business”) generally requires the participation of four parties (or roles): buyer, seller (e.g., merchant), fiduciary (e.g., bank), and transport (e.g., delivery service). The buyer's computer — particularly the browser software — provides the interface for the buyer in a business- to-consumer transaction. The merchant's computer — particularly the Web site software — provides the interface for the merchant to prospective buyers. When the transaction involves the sale of software or data (e.g., music, visual art, text, or even telemetry), the means connecting the buyer to seller (e.g., the Internet) can also serve in the role of transport. If the seller is trusted to accept payment by representation of the buyer's identity and authorization (as is the case with a standard credit card transaction), then the fiduciary becomes the credit card transaction system (e.g., American Express or Discover Card). Exhibit 1 describes the important zones or domains of control.