A Broader View of Information Risk during Internet Transactions

Ubiquitous networking facilitates Internet access across multiple network environments, whose value is tied directly to user perceptions of its ability to securely execute transactions. Prior research has cited awareness, trust, and risk as critical determinants of adoption but has failed to examine these factors as they relate to infrastructure and its provider. Because information in transit is at risk from a network environment’s vulnerabilities, we focus on the implications of such risk on Internet activities. We examine the multiple parties that must be trusted to complete and facilitate an online transaction. We propose that the user must trust not only the information recipient to act benevolently but also the technologies and organizations that facilitate the online exchange.