Highly publicized accounts of criminals stealing credit card numbers and trade secrets from the networks that support Global Electronic Commerce create confusion and curtail the use of digital networks for every-day transactions. In fact, technology products that can meet almost every security demand are available on the market and can actually make it safer to provide your credit card number online than it is to provide it over the phone or to a waiter in a restaurant. Nevertheless, to realize the opportunities made possible through Global Electronic Commerce, consumers, businesses and governments must be confident that the financial and other sensitive information they exchange during an electronic transaction is protected and safe from theft, alteration or misuse. Countries around the world must embrace market-driven solutions to electronic data security needs that allow consumers and businesses to choose and deploy the type and strength of security solutions they require.

Businesses today are adopting and becoming reliant on Internet technology, laying the foundation for a truly global networked economy.
Robert B. Palmer, Digital Equipment Corporation