[680] in WWW Security List Archive
Re: Don on considering STT
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Amir Herzberg)
Mon May 8 21:23:54 1995
To: www-security@ns2.rutgers.edu
Cc: e-payment@cc.bellcore.com
Date: Mon, 08 May 1995 17:04:37 -0400
From: Amir Herzberg <amir@watson.ibm.com>
Errors-To: owner-www-security@ns2.rutgers.edu
Don says,
> >> Hello,
> >> I think a complete look at payment protocols should include Secure
> Transaction
> >> Technology (STT) from Microsoft and VISA.
> >
> >The problem with MC/Visa's STT is that is not open, so we won't be
> >able to see what they have until they come out (_when_ they come out),
> >and the rest of the industry can't wait until they do. A virtue of an
> >open proposal is that its soundness can be double-checked by everybody.
> >
> >Cheers,
> >Juan
>
> Juan , I agree that progress has to be made with/without Microsoft/VISA etc. ,
> but my point is that any direction taken has got to recognize they will
> influence the market.
> A counter example perhaps is SLL and SHTTP; two is not always better than one.
> If there is anything that can be done to reconcile directions early in the game
> then it benefits everyone.
> I suggest we press on, but try to include Microsoft and VISA in the dialog.
> Make sense?
Absolutely. We in fact have sent the iKP proposal to MasterCard and presented
(and gave) it to Visa. We have also stated repeatedly that we want an open
process and that everybody, certainly MS and Visa, are welcome. In fact I
understood that MC have given Visa a proposal which very closely resembles
iKP and the two companies try to converge; we also gave Microsoft a copy
at their request (although iKP is already on the Web...); but they didn't
give us any info on their proposal... We try to keep the discussion and
work public (most of it is in e-payment@cc.bellcore.com list, subscribe by
mail to majordomo@cc.bellcore.com with subject subscribe e-payment).
Unfortunately, except for requesting a copy of our proposal, we never got
anything from Microsoft. Visa only told us that they think their proposal is
`quite similar'...
I think we are close to a crossroad here. I'll really like us to make plans for
a wwwc based public domain implementation this year. Any volunteers?
Best, Amir
------- End of Forwarded Message
