When a customer makes a purchase, information like the credit card number can be encrypted using that public key, rather than the merchant’s key. To the merchant, it’s a blob of binary data that passes through the system. We may begin offering that kind of functionality in some Netscape products later this year.
Predictor: Andreessen, Marc
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article in Government Computer News, associate editor Shawn P. McCarthy interviewed Tim Berners-Lee, designer of the World Wide Web, and Marc Andreessen, developer of the Mosaic browser. They shared their views on the Web and government involvement. In response to the question, ÒYou have said that vendors don’t have to be part of the network chain between a customer and a bank. How would that work?Ó Andreessen replies: ÒAll a vendor needs to know is that money is being deposited in his bank account. He doesn’t need to know credit card information. If there’s a point on the network that represents clearance or settlement for a credit purchase, it could hold any private-public keys needed to do that. When a customer makes a purchase, information like the credit card number can be encrypted using that public key, rather than the merchant’s key. To the merchant, it’s a blob of binary data that passes through the system. We may begin offering that kind of functionality in some Netscape products later this year.Ó
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Economic structures
Subtopic: E-cash
Name of publication: Government Computer News
Title, headline, chapter name: They Made the Web Spun Round the World
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 24
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne