First, it wants to use only verified nodes for network support and transaction confirmations, meaning someone anonymous couldn't run a node and confirm transactions like they could do on bitcoin's network.
E-mail experts say that challenge-response systems are promising, but they need fine-tuning to make sure users can see machine-sent messages that they want -- like transaction confirmations and sale announcements from stores they like.
"One of the weaknesses with bitcoin is you generally have to wait for five to six transaction confirmations before you're sure that the money hasn't been 'double spent', and that can take up to 40 or 50 minutes," Willis says.
Arthur handed over the money and the paying-in slip; then, when I had processed the transaction, he took the confirmation chit and, carefully, making no attempt to hide what he was doing, wrote down on the back what it said on my lapel badge.
It sends up to 800 telexes a day, mostly as confirmation for transactions.
The service will also allow sites to use Amazon to manage payments between users, and receive confirmation of transactions.
Instead, Siri takes you all the way through to pending transactions, requiring only your confirmation to complete them.
Originally installed to provide back-up confirmation of transactions made by telephone, the multichannel system recorded both internal and external conversations.
Mr. Gillis of IronPort said the messages could range in significance from a newsletter to confirmation of a transaction on PayPal, which allows people to make payments to each other over the Internet.
