E-commerce Bill passes hurdle in the UK

"The UK will be the best environment world-wide in which to trade electronically"

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have published a shortened version of The Electronic Communications Bill to promote electronic commerce in the UK in the 21st century. One of the most praised parts of the new Bill this is that electronic signatures are set to become as legally binding as hand-written ones.

The E-commerce Bill forms an important part of the GovernmentÕs policy to develop the UK as the best environment world-wide in which to trade electronically. Patricia Hewitt, the e-minister, presented the Bill to the House of Commons on 18th November 1999.

• The legislation includes three parts:

• Cryptography service providers

• Facilitation of Electronic Commerce, Data Storage etc.

• Miscellaneous and supplemental
  
  - Telecommunications licenses
  - Supplemental

The new, shortened Bill has been welcomed by a majority of the industry, and is now expected to pass easily when it is debated in Parliament in the beginning of next year. However, critics of the new Bill pointed out that some debated proposals are far from dead. The government previously proposed that the failure to obey a decryption notice should be made into a criminal offence. This has however been dropped from the new Bill.

One of the advantages of the new Bill is that it sweeps away obstacles in existing laws, for example the laws that insist on the use of paper where an electronic option would do. Supporters say the acceptance of electronic signatures will speed up transactions and facilitate e-commerce. The critics, however, say that the Bill could still allow victims, whose signatures have been forged, to be held responsible for them.

Anna Lagerkvist