e centre UK, the
UK authority on standards and practices in electronic trade, warmly welcomed the Trade and Industry Committee’s report “Building Confidence in Electronic Commerce: The Government’s
Proposals,” published Wednesday. The report was strongly critical
of proposed legislation that still contained controversial key
escrow and key recovery provisions.
Managing Director Alan Boxer said he looked forward to “that
happy day dawning” when the government publishes a new e-commerce
Bill promising what he called “crisp, light regulation.”
“At the top of our wish list is the simple statement that we want
to be able to work in a UK that engenders trust and confidence in
doing business electronically,” he added.
“We share the Committee’s disappointment
that the government may not have entirely given up on key escrow and key
recovery, despite the complete lack of any benefit that would arise from
its introduction,” said Roger Till, a director of e centre UK.
Till went on to say that there should be cooperation between
industry and the various security agencies, and that any task force
should include users as well as suppliers. In its report the committee
proposed an ongoing task force to examine the role of cryptography
and its impact on national security.
“We endorse the Committee’s view that legislation
to clarify the status of electronic signatures would command widespread
support. It comes back to creating trust and confidence. At e centre UK
we have argued consistently that the paper and electronic worlds should
be treated equally in law,” Till said.
e centre UK was formed by the October 1998 merger of the Article Number
Association with the Electronic Commerce Association.