With the turn of a new century accountants see the need to get involved in the ever-evolving world of computer technology and the Internet. The AICPA saw the need for assurance in electronic commerce, and they found a way for them to benefit from it. It is the WebTrust seal of assurance.
             Everywhere you turn more and more people are involved with the Internet. Even business are benefiting from the Internet. In 1997 estimates reported that buyers and sellers exchanged about eight billion dollars through the Internet. It is also estimated that by the year 2002 this amount will increase to over $300 billion dollars. However, these numbers could be substantially higher if people were more comfortable with conducting their business through the World Wide Web. Customers think of Web businesses as faceless companies. They are afraid to give their credit card and other personal information online. A recent survey showed that 91% of people who surfed the web are unwilling to give out personal and financial information, and 85% don't want to use their credit cards online. Web surfers need some type of guarantee that the web company is legal and the transactions will be carried out as agreed upon, and that the personal information they give will be safe.
             With the successfulness of the Internet and other technological advances tied with the decline of the historical financial statements usefulness, auditors fear that financial accounting services will no longer be a growth industry. In order to keep up with the technological advances CPA firms are looking into ways to maximize the range of their services. In 1997 the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants worked together on creating the CPA WebTrust assurance program. This is a unique logo that is essentially a seal of assurance that lets people know that sites containing the seal have been approved and th...