IP: GLOBAL E-CONSUMER RULES PROPOSED -- educause

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
which represents 29 countries including the U.S., has almost
finished creating consumer protection guidelines for e-commerce.
The group has been working on the guidelines for the past two
years, and a final version of the rules might be adopted by the
end of the year. Federal officials say the guidelines will boost
e-commerce by encouraging consumer confidence, while industry
officials say the rules are possibly too specific and do not
address emerging technologies or services such as online
auctions. The guidelines aim to form common e-commerce standards
in different countries and call for an organization similar to
the Better Business Bureau to resolve conflicts. Although the
guidelines are voluntary, OECD member nations often convert the
group's recommendations into law. (Computerworld 10/25/99)

_____________________________________________________________________
David Farber
The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems
University of Pennsylvania
Home Page: http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~farber
Email: farber () cis upenn edu

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