As the Internet grows in popularity every day, so too does electronic commerce. Electronic commerce, simply put, is the exchange of money for goods and services via electronic means. In other words, electronic commerce is when you purchase something off of the Internet. Electronic commerce is often referred to as e-commerce, or e-business. In this paper I will be discussing the technical side of e-commerce, security, different points of view regarding e-business, and of course my personal opinion and experiences.

First I would like to discuss the types of e-business. E-business can be anything from purchasing a toaster from a department store online to checking your bank statement online. All are examples of the many aspects of e-business. There are several aspects of e-business unique to it.

When comparing traditional business to e-business, one can see several differences between the two. The most obvious difference when buying standard goods (such as a toaster, a book, or a new computer) is the store. When dealing with e-business there is no "real" store or merchandise to look at. It is all presented through the merchant's webpage, or by other electronic means. You will not be ab

There are two points of view to consider. There is the consumer and the business person. Within these two groups, there are those in favor of e-business and those who are not. First I would like to talk about the consumer and there points of view. There are many reasons why a potential customer will either like e-business or will not. I believe the main reason most people like e-business is the ease in which they can get what ever they want, when ever they want it. Anyone with a valid credit card can go to a site such as www.amazone.com, and order anything they want at any time of the day. Within a few days (depending on the method of shipping chosen) their order will arrive at their front door. The problem with shopping online is, because you are not bound by geography, the company you bought from could be on the other side of the world. They have to send you the product. This obviously creates delays in receiving your merchandise and you will also have to pay a modest ship!

A few methods in which e-business is conducted are shopping, and online banking. Let's examine the shopping aspect of e-business first. When you go to a site to buy something, a site such as www.amazon.com, there are a few things you should notice. They have something called a shopping cart. When you finally decide that you want to buy something, you enter the quantity you wish to purchase, and then "add to shopping cart". The shopping cart is a CGI script used to keep track of the things you want, and how many. This is a way to keep track of everything while you can continue shopping. When you are finished adding everything to the shopping cart, then you choose the option to "check out". This starts another CGI script that takes all of your personal data such as your name, address, and phone number, as well as your credit card number.

-bit encryption because it is not quite as safe as the 128-bit version. It is assumed that you need more protection for your bank accounts than you do for a basic online purchase. In all cases you should be using some form of encryption to transfer data. Some companies will give you a security guarantee.

When you examine the online banking portion of e-business, you have a few more things to consider. In order to use online banking, you will have to have an account with the bank in question. Once you have your account, you can go to the bank's webpage and set it up by giving them account and personal information. Then you will be able to use their software to access your account. There is definitely an issue with privacy in both cases. It is obvious that customers do not what their personal information released. A more important issue, perhaps more important than your personal information is your credit card number. This can be used by anyone who has it. There is no real way to stop someone from using your number at another site to buy things with out your permission. This is a major concern of the e-business industry. Should the consumer be concerned? Well, yes and no. The first thing you should be concerned with is the validity of the e-business itself. Unless the company !

Some common words found in the essay are:
Internet Electronic, Security Information, Personal Experience, Internet Explorer, Circuit City, Regarding E-business, Explorer Netscape, Commerce Internet, online banking, credit card, personal information, electronic commerce, shopping cart, Bibliography Webpages, Commerce WashingtonDC, 40-bit encryption, shopping online, internet explorer, touch inspect potential, setup maintain website, aspects e-business, card personal information, account balance, credit card personal, domain name webspace,
Approximate Word count = 2308
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)