A Year Ago: European e-commerce user group launched

A European e-commerce user group was launched in London today claiming it will attempt to "remove current technical and psychological barriers to e-commerce".

The International Commerce eXchange (ICX) is the first user group for secure electronic commerce in Europe and received funding from the European Commission.

Aimed at "any organisation with an interest in e-commerce, including small/medium businesses, corporates, governments and public enterprises", ICX was founded by ICL, Shell Service International, Telecom Italia and Sweden Post.

"The use of electronic commerce is being hampered because of the practical concerns of European organisations," said Chris Taper, ICX treasurer. "Corporate issues of security, encryption, digital signatures and trusted third parties as well as government concerns about illegal activities taking place over the Internet and the question of individual privacy are all under scrutiny at the moment."

"ICX and its members believe that electronic commerce will not be trusted as a purchasing medium until interested parties work together to ensure that current technical and psychological obstacles are removed," he added.