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What Secure Site Seals Mean to Consumer

What Secure Site Seals Mean to Consumer (PDF, 1.86MB)Published: 02 Oct, 2002
Created by:
Kwok Chan

We definitely trust brandname. It is the key to locate the merchant in the great internet world of web sites. Obviously, everyone should learn the difference between Mcdonald.com and Mcdonalds.com. A number of tools can help consumer to know the actual owner of a domain name, such as whois or together with well known search engine like yahoo. Domain name server hijacking is not impossible. Even when we are sure that the domain name is owned by the expected merchant, we still need to check on the content of the web site. In the Internet world, the default method of authenticating the web site is by using SSL server certificates. The PKI service providers are seriously selling PKI technologies claiming that it would help improve the trustworthiness of a web site. The biggest audit consultant firms are selling Webtrust to do something similar. In certain senses, these remedies can be good enough to support the genuineness of the web site and the procedures of the web site owner company on managing the web site and customers' information. However, it is still not a bullet-proof means.