Method for secure communication over a public data network via a terminal that is accessible to multiple users
There is described a method of communicating over a public data network, for example the Internet. A user of a public PC, for example one located in an Internet café, uses the Internet browser provided on the public PC to downloaded from a remote trusted web site a secure Internet browser that then runs within the browser provided on the public PC. The user uses the secure Internet browser to browse the Internet. The secure browser has been configured so that no copy of information transmitted into the network or downloaded from the network is cached or otherwise recorded on the hard disc of the terminal. The user may thus browse the Internet without leaving a record of sensitive information (e.g. credit card details) used in the browsing session at the public terminal.
1. A method of communicating over a public data network, the method comprising,
transmitting to a remote server on the network a request for web browsing software stored on the remote server to be downloaded to a terminal connected to the network;
receiving the web browsing software at the terminal; and
using the web browsing software which has been downloaded to the terminal to communicate from the terminal over the public data network; wherein, at least one of the following is true:
the web browsing software is configured such that user input data, which is input to the web browsing software by a user of the terminal, is transmitted into the network without storing a record of said input data at the terminal; and
data which are received from the network at the terminal by the web browsing software, at the request of the user, are presented to the user without storing a record of the data at the terminal.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the web browsing software is a Java Applet.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein, the web browsing software is for communicating with web sites.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the web browsing software is downloaded by and runs within a further communications application provided on the terminal.
5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the further communications application is a Web Browser.
6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the web browsing software is arranged to communicate with the public data network via a Web Browser application running on a remote server.
7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the Web Browser application retrieves web pages from the network on behalf of the web browsing software, which receives the Web Pages in a non graphical format from the Web Browser application.
8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein no copy of the data transmitted into the network or the data received from the network by the application is cached at the terminal or written to permanent memory at the terminal.
9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein no record of a network address visited by the application from the terminal is stored at the terminal.
10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the network address is any of an IP address, domain name or a URL.
11. A server connected to a public data network, the server storing a communications application for downloading to a terminal connected to the network for use in the method of claim 1 .