Since e-commerce is conducting globally. It has a profound effect on the growth of commerce on the internet by facilitating it or inhibiting it in their regulations. Government has been developed by the courts and by legislators over years to provide a degree of certainty to society in the fields of commerce and human interrelation in cyberspace.
As regulation is very important in e-commerce, many countries’ government set up the agreements with other countries to maintain policies for organisation and consumers’ secure in cyberspace.
Regulation in Australia and US
Australia has its Agreement on National Laws for Electronic Commerce, which is the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General agreed to an Australian model law to facilitate electronic commerce. The proposed legislation will give legal recognition of electronic communications and, subject to certain minimum conditions, allow existing electronic data messages to satisfy legal requirements for writing, signatures and originals. Also, Australian government has an agreement with US, “Co-operation on Electronic Commerce�, which covers a number of key policy principles including private sector leadership, minimal government intervention, neutral taxes and self-regulation. Also, The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) provide guidance on when it will seek to regulate offers, invitations and advertisements that policy help Australian understand more the regulation of e-commerce of Australian government. Those government’s policies regulating the e-commerce in the internet market, which provide a safe place for organsations and online consumers to do online commerce process between Australia and other countries.
Regulation in UK
UK also has a policy to regulate e-commerce, Secure Electronic Commerce Bill, which proposals that promote to legal recognition of e-signature, and introduction of a voluntary licensing regime for certification authorities and other providers of cryptographic services. However, this “secure Electronic Commerce Bill� become the law in June 1999, to regulate UK’s online market.
Regulation in Europan Union
Moreover, the country, where most concern about the regulation of e-commerce is European Union. European Union is the drive for harmonization of national laws to allow the creation and development of a single European market. European Commission most concern about e-commerce that many European set up some policies to regulate the cyber-market, e-commerce, the policies are “Data Protection Directive�, “the draft e-Signatures Directive", and “the draft e-Commerce Directive�.
“The draft e-Commerce Directive� is the issue of regulation e-commerce in the European Union, which give some protections to both organsation and online consumers in the cyberspace.
European Union set up this regulation that provides each member state shall apply its national laws to a “service provider� established within their territory. The regulation in European Union can regulate the e-commerce’s transactions for both organsations and consumers that make the cyber-market be more secure.
Not only in developed countries, such as Australia, UK, US etc., but also in developing counties, the Indian government also has taken the view that electronic commerce is something that needs to be strongly regulated so that it doesn't get out of control.
E-commerce can affect the world economy as it became globally, therefore, regulation of e-commerce is very important for online organsations and consumers over the world, government’s regulations can provide the safe cyber area for them to do online business.
Anason, D. (1997) ‘Regulating E-Commerce: Damned If You Do . . . Series: 6’, American Banker. New York, N.Y., Vol.162, Issue. 118; page 3, [Online] Available: Link (1997, June 20)
Connellan, J. (2000) ‘Regulators face up to ecommerce uncertainty’ Telecommunications. (International ed.). Dedham: Vol.34, Issue 1, page. 35, 3 pages, [Online] Available: Link (2000, January)
Mallesons Stephen Jaques (1998), “ E-commerce Laws-Australia�, [Online] Available: Link
Murray, A. D., Vick, D. W., and Wortley, S. (1999) ‘Regulating e-commerce: Formal transactions in the digital age’, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, Vol. 13, Issue. 2, page 127, 19 pages, [Online] Available: Link (1999, August)
News.com(2000), 'Regulating e-commerce: lessons from India', [online] Available: Link
Leung Sum Yee 17:09, 21 Oct 2004 (EST)
E-commerce_and_the_Law
