Secure Transaction Platform Attracts New Applications

NTT Communications (NTT Com) is pleased to announce that its Safety Pass online platform for secure online transactions is now being used for three more prominent e-commerce services in Japan.

Safety Pass uses IC cards, codes and electronic authentication technology to support secure online transactions by verifying the service provider's creditworthiness, the consumer's identity and the transaction details. It can be used in a wide variety of online transaction applications to lower system costs while also raising system reliability.

A key feature of Safety Pass is its use of personal IC cards, which are issued to each customer. The IC cards prevent impersonation by third parties and leaks of information, as personal data and banking information are stored on the card and transmitted only between the customer and NTT Com.

On August 16, NTT Com and Pia Corporation, a pioneer of Japan's ticketing industry, jointly formed Pia Digital Life Line Corporation to develop e-ticketing services. The company will provide a complete online ticketing service, meaning that customers will be able to reserve, pay for and receive tickets from their own personal computer or mobile phone.

Since the user receives the e-ticket right after completing the transaction, tickets can be purchased immediately prior to the event. Ticket details, such as exhibition date, time and seat number, are encoded and downloaded into the user's IC card or mobile phone, which serves as the ticket. When entering an event venue, the user merely holds the IC card or mobile phone up to a reading device. Confirmation is performed at high speed and is designed to ensure that the e-ticket is not used more than once.

In this particular system, Safety Pass will be used for the downloading of e-tickets and making payments.

Yahoo! Japan, meanwhile, began using Safety Pass for its consumer-to-consumer (C to C) auction service in July. The advantage of using Safety Pass in this case is that it enables the winning bidder to pay with a credit card if the seller has a Safety Pass IC card. Payment is conducted through Safety Pass's own "Cho-Com" electronic money system. Once again, banking accounts, credit card numbers and other personal information are never exchanged between the two parties engaged in the transaction.

The introduction of credit card payments in C to C auctions, once impossible due to security problems, represents a huge convenience, both for buyer and seller.

Also in July, NTT Com announced an alliance with NRI Secure Technologies Ltd. to realize a secure system, incorporating Safety Pass, for electronic file exchange. The system combines NRI's security system for electronic file exchange and Safety Pass features, including ID verification, access control and data tampering prevention. As a result, users will be able to send and receive files of highly important information from anywhere in world with assured safely and reliability.

Safety Pass is also being used for secure online transactions in the business-to-consumer (B to C) services of companies selling a wide range of products, including flowers, food, cosmetics, clothing, CDs, computers, cars, online content and much more.