Balancing privacy and trust in electronic marketplaces

Abstract

Person-to-Person marketplaces have become quite popular on the Internet. Members of the communities established by these marketplaces may sell and buy items within the community. Naturally they have certain security requirements on every trade conducted within the community. We investigate these requirements and the possibility to fulfill them to guarantee multilateral security. eBay, one of the greatest auction providers, uses a reputation system to enhance trust in its marketplace. Unfortunately this system does not address privacy. We suggest how the use of other pseudonym types can increase privacy within a marketplace community like eBay while maintaining the same level of trust. © Springer-Verlag 2004.