Internet Governance
UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development) is particularly active in research and capacity building, focusing on the relevance of e-commerce to development. Every year it publishes the E-Commerce and Development Report, which contains both a survey of the current situation and proposals for future developments. In the business sector, the most active international organisations are the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which produces a wide range of recommendations and analyses in the field of e-commerce, and the Global Business Dialogue, which promotes e-commerce in both international and national contexts. Regional initiatives The EU developed an e-commerce strategy at the so-called ‘Dot Com Summit’ of EU leaders in Lisbon (March, 2000). Although it embraced a private and market-centred approach to e-commerce, the See Section 5 for further EU also introduced a few corrective measures discussion on universal aimed at protecting public and social interests access (the promotion of universal access, a competition policy involving consideration of the public interest, and a restriction in the distribution of harmful content). The EU adopted the Directive on Electronic Commerce as well as a set of other directives related to electronic signatures, data protection, and electronic financial transactions. In the Asia-Pacific region, the focal point of e-commerce cooperation is Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC). APEC established the E-Commerce Steering Group, which addresses various e-commerce issues, including consumer protection, data protection, See Section 2 for further spam, and cybersecurity. The most prominent discussion on spam and initiative is APEC’s Paperless Trading Individual cybersecurity Action Plan, aiming to create completely paperless trade in goods in the region by 2010.
Consumer protection Consumer trust is one of the main preconditions for the success of e-commerce. E-commerce is still relatively new and consumers are not as confident with it as with ‘real-world’ shopping. Consumer protection is an important legal method for developing trust in e-commerce. E-commerce regulation should protect customers in a number of areas: 108