Stories by Charles R. Merrill

Fine Print: Time Is of the Essence

Electronic commerce and web-based applications have ditched the realm of theory and live large in everyday reality. But today's applications only foreshadow what's to come in ease of use and legal reliability. For example, current systems use encrypted sessions to guard against eavesdroppers. But is that enough to stand up to a full-fledged legal challenge of any kind? What happens when one party to an ill-fated electronic deal denies the terms of a contract, when it was sent or that it was sent at all? Internet-based business models will require solid technical solutions to answer such questions.