The focus of this book is on establishing trust in electronic commerce (EC) transactions. The authors concentrate on designing an easy-to-understand approach to fostering trust in EC. The book is divided into 10 chapters and an appendix.

In chapter 1 the focus is on how trust works in the non-EC model and the new risks associated with EC. Chapter 2 discusses risks associated with EC and reviews how auditors and control professionals view the risk factors. This discussion naturally flows into chapter 3, on creating a safe environment for EC. Chapter 4 discusses trust from the viewpoints of privacy and information flow.

The discussion of security in chapter 5 is enlightening. The authors briefly discuss the available encryption methods. The discussion of authentication techniques is quite interesting. The core aspects of EC are explained in chapter 6. This discussion covers not only the value-added aspects of EC but also several payment mechanisms for EC.

EC being a fast-developing area, maintaining customer trust once it has been established is crucial for success. Chapter 7 discusses several rules a business can formulate in order to maintain customer trust. Chapters 8 and 9 discuss the internal and external controls needed for EC. Chapter 10 concludes the book with a discussion on the long-term scope for EC. The appendix is entirely devoted to a discussion of the evolving Secure Electronic Transaction standard.

Overall, the book is interesting to read. Anyone who wants to design and develop an e-commerce site should look here for pointers on how trust plays a critical role in business success. This book will be of interest to EC practitioners only.