[109435] in Cypherpunks
CDR: Is it April 1st already
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Brown, R Ken)
Wed Mar 24 05:27:30 1999
From: "Brown, R Ken" <brownrk1@texaco.com>
To: "'cypherpunks@einstein.ssz.com'" <cypherpunks@einstein.ssz.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 04:08:59 -0600
Reply-To: "Brown, R Ken" <brownrk1@texaco.com>
2-weeks old stale news (I don't read the Ziff-Davis website *that* often)
about some people who really don't seem to get the point...
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/1999/9/ns-7288.html
Ken
"NetBanx has released a micro-payment system that it claims will alleviate
the risks normally associated with e-commerce.
One of the UK's leading e-payment system providers, NetBanx has released
PremiumNet to overcome users' fears in submitting credit card numbers over
the Internet. It works by having the user contact the intended Web site,
download dialler software and then contact the site separately via a
premium-rate telephone number. This then allows access to information at a
range of tariffs set by the service provider.
Bill Thomson, group managing director at NetBanx owner NetInvest, explained
that it went for this approach "as a way of bringing multimedia to
premium-rate services".
Users will have to log on to the appropriate NetBanx site, download
software, disconnect from their ISP and use the installed software that will
dial direct to the service, ensuring a reasonably high level of security.
"This is targeted at services where the value of the product is measured by
how long users will be on the site and I can see an attraction in that,"
said Dataquest principal analyst Ken Fraser. "However, it's not as flexible
as having a money substitute, so it does not meet the general requirements
for
micro-payments." There is still no provision for the use of purchase of
products that one wants to get quickly and use for a short time.
Robin Bloor, chief executive officer of Bloor Research, agreed. "This is
rather restrictive, but if they can claim a section of the market, that's
enough."
"
