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Daedalus

Pay for the Internet

Nature volume 413, page 34 (2001)Cite this article

The collapse of many Internet dotcom companies reflects the deep unease of many consumers at trusting their credit-card numbers to the insecurity of the Internet. How, then, to bring alive the Internet's commercial potential? Micro-payments have somehow not taken off. Daedalus reckons that a consumer will trust to the Internet what he might lose on a bet — maybe US$50 or so. Rogue sites that charge more than this, in one or many payments, must be discouraged.

DREADCO Financial Services is therefore inventing a special low-limit card or cheque for Internet use. Their small limit cannot be overexploited, so the risk is low. It may feature an exact cut-off negotiated automatically with the company beforehand.

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  1. David Jones
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Jones, D. Pay for the Internet. Nature 413, 34 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35092663

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