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Role of Business/Industry Associations in promoting legal
awareness and protecting from exploitation
Security of the consumer has been a major concern in the e-commerce segment. The
security aspect is not only limited to the financial transactions
but is extended to
unforeseen divulging of information such as email address, personal contact details etc.
There are other data that a host vendor website could collect passively such as the
routine/pattern of the consumer buying. This typically leads to sending bulk SMS, direct
calling to consumer & theft on financial details. The role of organizations & various
industries is very critical at this juncture to ensure that law is enforced properly. There
are various regulations, awareness programs run by various industry associations such
as FTC, Industry retailers associations, payment card industry etc.
The government of
various countries has also established specific institutions for tacking the issues related
to e-commerce transactions.
Different International government Associations are as follows:
International Consumer Protection & Enforcement Network
APEC Electronic Commerce Steering Group
Econsumer.gov
National
Cyber Security Alliance
Stop Think Buy
Other organizations which play a key role in legal issues related to e-commerce
are Stop Think Connect,
Stay Safe online, Digital Business & Digital Europe to
quote a few.
Roles of the organizations
Various roles of organizations are listed below.
Standardizing Regulations
The organizations have mandated the vendors to be compliant to the country of origin &
the country of the buyer. However, there are certain discrepancies such as regulations
being liberal in the country of origin compared to the country of the buyer. But these
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organizations have ensured that everyone involved in a transaction is under the purview
of the corresponding country laws.
