[FYI] dti/UK: "BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE "

[Horns@t-online.de (Axel H. Horns)]

http://jya.com/dti-consfn1.htm

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5 March 1999. Thanks to IB.
Source: http://www.dti.gov.uk/cii/elec/consfn1.pdf 



        BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE 
                           - 

                 A CONSULTATION DOCUMENT



                                                              Unique
                                                              Referenc
                                                              e
                                                              Number:
                                                              URN
                                                              99/642




                              dti
             Department of Trade and Industry 



BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE - A CONSULTATION DOCUMENT

SUMMARY 

Electronic commerce has the potential to revolutionise the way
business is done and improve the competitiveness of British industry.
The Government has set the ambitious goal of developing the UK as the
world's best place in which to trade electronically and the Prime
Minister has set the target that by 2002, 25% of dealings by citizens
and businesses with government should be able to be done
electronically. 

People need to be confident about the identity of the person sending
an electronic message, to be sure that it hasn't been tampered with,
and in some cases that it has been kept confidential. The technology
is available, but users need to be able to trust it and companies
supplying it. The Government announced its intention to legislate in
November 1998, to build trust in electronic commerce, by establishing
a voluntary licensing system for providers of cryptographic services;
and by enabling legal recognition of "electronic signatures". 

The main purpose of this Consultation Paper, which has been prepared
jointly by the DTI and the Home Office, is to seek views on the
detailed implementation of this policy. Topics on which we are seeking
views include: legal recognition, the criteria which applicants for
licenses will have to meet, the liability of service providers towards
their customers and others, and the way the law enforcement provisions
will affect licensed providers, unlicensed providers and other people.
We are also interested in views about the removal of obstacles in
existing law so as to permit the use of electronic communication in
place of paper, and other changes to legislation to promote electronic
commerce. 

Serious criminals, including drug traffickers, paedophiles and
terrorists, are turning to encryption to conceal their activities.
Unchecked, this will make the work of law enforcement increasingly
difficult. The Government therefore intends to provide the agencies
responsible for tackling serious crime with the ability to acquire
lawful access to material necessary to decrypt communications or
stored data. 

While the Government remains keen to promote the development and use
of encryption technologies that meet law enforcement requirements, it
recognises industry concerns that making key escrow and third party
key recovery a requirement for licensing could hinder the development
of electronic commerce in the UK. It is therefore consulting on the
basis that this will not be a requirement for licensing. However, the
Government is looking to industry to help identify ways of meeting law
enforcement requirements while promoting the growth of electronic
commerce. 

The Government is committed to introducing legislation in the current
Parliamentary session. Comments are required by Thursday 1 April. 

                                   5 March 1999 

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