Electronic Signatures to be Reviewed to Boost eCommerce

by Katy - Murcutt

19 February 2011, filed under Ecommerce

 The European Commission plans to implement better laws on the use and authenticity of e-signatures in order to improve the current online economy.

The Commission has said that a general rule of e-signature authentication would boost eCommerce deals state to state as current low confidence in online transactions from consumers is holding back the potential development of the European Unions online economy as a whole.

The European Commission is reviewing the eSignature Directive and asking both the general public and businesses to put forward views and opinions on what ought to be included in the review before the implementation of the revised Directive. The Commission has asked for the standpoints on both consumers and businesses to ensure a mutually convenient and trustworthy source of verification for individuals identities can be utilised when an inline transact is completed within the European Union, from one member state to another.

E-Signatures and the authenticity of electronic identification is fundamental to the online economy as a tool to create a reliable and secure service within member states for trustworthy online market service providers, whether business to business or business to consumer.
The Commission believes that a blanket policy for the member states of the European Union is necessary for successful state to state online commerce.

The Commission's target for the successful implementation of the eSignature Directive is to encourage European online users to fell confident using online services free from concern of identity theft and identity fraud.

The Directive will also deal clarify the legal position of online users when they click on certain buttons to accept certain terms on a web page.

The opinions obtained during the consultation process will ascertain the usefulness of e-signatures and their trustworthiness among users and eCommerce providers.

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