Consumer Protection in the Global Electronic Marketplace: Looking Ahead

摘要

The electronic marketplace continues to grow dramatically. For the first time,consumers can shop around the clock from merchants around the world. Likewise, businesses can reach customers worldwide quickly and at low cost. But the global nature of the marketplace poses challenges: Consumers face concerns about the availability of legal protections and avenues for redress. Businesses face concerns about the costs and unpredictability of the regulatory environment. Cross-border e-commerce is still in its infancy. But we need to look ahead. Dealing appropriately with these concerns today will ensure that the pro-consumer benefits inherent in a global marketplace are realized fully. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff has worked with consumer groups, businesses, academics, and government agencies for the past two years to explore how to work together to develop a global electronic marketplace offering safety for consumers and predictability for business. In June 1999, the FTC held a public international workshop to consider a broad spectrum of views on proposed guidelines on consumer protection in e-commerce. The guidelines, adopted in December 1999, represent the views of the 29 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and offer a framework for governments building online consumer protections, for the private sector developing self-regulatory regimes, and for consumers shopping online.