Visa is rolling out a foundational framework for agentic commerce. Called the Trusted Agent Protocol, Visa says it enables secure communication between AI agents and merchants during every step of an agentic AI e-commerce transaction. The launch comes as AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites has grown by more than 4,700 percent this past year, Visa says, citing Adobe Research data. Visa is making the protocol, which was developed in concert with Cloudflare, available to others using an “open, ecosystem-wide approach” that aligns with global standards bodies including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), OpenID Foundation and EMVCo. Continue reading Visa Intros Agentic Shopping Protocol as AI Shopping Surges

Apple’s iOS 18 update added Rich Communication Services (RCS), which meant better integration with Android users, including media sharing and chat. Now the GSMA has added end-to-end encryption (E2EE), which Apple will implement to allow iPhone users to share E2EE files and messages with Android users. The new specs make RCS the first mainstream messaging service to support interoperable E2EE between different providers, according to the GSMA. Coupled with SIM-based authentication, “E2EE will provide RCS users with the highest level of privacy and security for protection” from fraud and threats, GSMA adds. Continue reading End-to-End Encryption Bridges Gap Between iOS and Android

The engineers behind the Internet Engineering Task Force are responding to public outcry over Internet surveillance by encrypting Web traffic with plans for a revamped system by the end of next year. In light of National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s exposure of the agency’s mass Internet surveillance, the effort will introduce the default of encryption in Internet browsing, intended to reduce the ease of snooping. Continue reading Engineers Defaulting to Encrypted Browsing for the Internet