Electronic Commerce Focus Area 

The Internet has evolved through a unique amalgam of government subsidy, commercial and non-profit initiative, international cooperation, self/mutual/no regulation, and continual rapid change.  It is rife with opportunities (real and imagined), with entrepreneurs (scrupulous and unscrupulous), and with potential customers whose needs, wants, fears, means, and constraints are extremely diverse.  To mature and prosper on this "electronic frontier," commerce needs enough stability for planning and investment, enough flexibility for innovation, and an adequately trustworthy infrastructure.  At the same time, society has many valid concerns that may require public policies and intervention, in areas such as privacy, fraud, unfair trade practices, liability, law enforcement, taxation, and security.  The interests of government, industry, and individuals are -- to say the least -- in constant tension.

Some of the questions the panel will consider are:  How much public policy does electronic commerce need?  Of what kind?  Set and enforced by whom?  Is it even possible for governments to impose useful regulations on cyberspace?  What problems would inadequate, excessive, or misguided policies cause?  Can public policy evolve rapidly enough to respond to developments in the electronic marketplace?  What compromises are needed to strike a balance between commercial interests and the public interest?

Recent News

Breaking Stories

Microsoft Appeals Anti-Trust Ruling -- April 21, 1998. CNN. Microsoft challenged in the Circuit Court of Appeals a previous anti-trust ruling requring it to sell two versions of Window 95. One without its internet browser.

Commerce Secretary Says Encryption Policy Failing -- April 15, 1998. Commerce Secretary William Daley conceded the current policy on computer encryption was failing and promises new talks.

Researchers Crack Code in Cell Phones -- April 14, 1998. In successfully cracking a widely used encryption method designed to prevent the cloning of digital cellular phones, a group of University of California computer researchers believe they have stumbled across evidence that the system was deliberately weakened to permit government surveillance.

Gore to Unveil Internet2 Today -- April 14, 1998. U.S.Vice President Al Gore unveils a super-fast computer network connecting U.S. universities that could lead to a much speedier Internet

More Stories...

 

Announcements

• US Commerce Dept. Report on Emerging Digital Economy -- April 15, 1998. Released.
• Harvard Conference on Internet & Society -- May 26-29, 1998.
• 1998 EPIC Cryptography and Privacy Conference -- June 8, 1998. Washington, DC.

People in Electronic Commerce

        ACM '98 E-Commerce Panel

• Dr. Lance Hoffman -- Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at The George Washington University in Washington, D. C. and Director of the School of Engineering and Applied Science's Cyberspace Policy Institute
• Dr. James Jay Horning -- Director, STAR Lab (Strategic Technologies and Architectural Research Laboratory) of InterTrust Technologies Corporation
• Kenneth R. Kay -- Founder of InfoTech Strategies, Executive Director of the CEO Forum on Education and Technology, Executive Director of the Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP)
• James Pitkow -- Xerox PARC
• Commissioner Mozelle Thompson -- Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission
• Dr. Hal Varian -- Dean of the School of Information Management and Systems at the University of California at Berkeley, a Professor in the Haas School of Business, a Professor in the Department of Economics

 

Organizations

Government Organizations

• U.S. Copyright Office
• Copyright Office Electronic Registration Deposit System
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Defense Electronic Commerce Program
• Department of Energy Electronic Commerce Newsletter
• Electronic Commerce Acquisition Program Management Office (ECAPMO) of GSA
• European Commission on Electronic Commerce
• FBI National Computer Crime Squad
• Federal Communications Commission
• Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is one of the primary Treasury Department agencies that establishes, oversees, and implements Treasury's policies to prevent and detect money laundering. Includes information about cyberspace.
• Financial Implementation Team for Electronic Commerce (FITEC)
• G-7 Pilot Project on Electronic Commerce Overview
• G-7 Pilot Project: International Testbeds/Pilot Projects for Electronic Commerce
• National Security Agency
• National Institute of Justice Office of Science & Technology
• U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
• The Federal Web Locator via theVillanova Center for Information Law and Policy and Kenneth P. Mortensen. This site has links to ALL known U.S. Government Sites.

 

Non-Government Organizations

• Association for Electronic Commerce Professionals Inc. - chartered specifically for the support, edification and to advance the cause of the EC/EDI professional as an individual.
• Business Gateway - not-for-profit organizations matching products and customers through the power of electronic commerce.
• CommerceNet -- industry consortium for companies using, promoting, and building electronic commerce sites on the Internet
• Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP) -- American industry consortium that develops and advocates public policy positions on important trade and technology policy issues. CSPP's current policy agenda includes projects on global electronic commerce, security, encryption and export controls and market access
• CyberCash -- CyberCash enables merchants, banks, processors, and consumers to use SET (Secure Electronic Transaction) as a global payment protocol while building on the security and convenience long associated with the CyberCash payment solutions
• Digital Object Identifier System -- an identification system for digital media.  It has been designed to provide persistent and reliable identification of digital objects via a proven technology and an efficient administration system, to link customers with publishers, facilitate electronic commerce, and enable automated copyright management systems
• EAN International - managing a global multi-industry numbering and barcoding system of item identification and EDI standards.
• EAN Sweden - non-profit organization which develops and standardize identification concepts between business partners.
• Electronic Commerce Resource Center (10)
• FAST Electronic Broker -- a prototype automated procurement service being developed by
• the FAST Project at the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute, under the sponsorship of the Advanced Research Projects Agency.
• The Financial Services Technology Consortium (FSTC) -- a consortium of banks, financial services providers, national laboratories, universities, and government agencies who sponsor and participate in non-competitive collaborative research and development on interbank technical projects.
• The Information Economy --  is part of the School of Information Management and Systems at the University of California Berkeley. Links and resources about The Economics of the Internet, Information Goods,  Intellectual Property and Related Issues
• Internet Access Coalition -- an organization of industry groups opposed to the imposition of access charges for the use of local telephone networks.
• Mid-America Payment Exchange - not-for-profit, automated clearing house (ACH) association responsible for encouraging and facilitating the effective use of electronic payments.
• National Automated Payment Association (NAPA) - learn about taking checks over the phone, credit cards, and other electronic payment methods.
• The NetBill Project -- Carnegie Mellon's Information Networking Institute project for a dependable, secure, and economical payment method for purchasing digital goods and services through the Internet.
• Payments Authority - non-profit association of financial institutions in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, helping with direct deposit, automatic bill payment, and corporate payments.
• Regional Electronic Commerce Resource Center
• Smart Card Industry Association - SCIA is a global trade association which strives to stimulate the use and understanding of smart card technology in the marketplace.
• Uniform Code Council, Inc. - establishes and promotes multi-industry standards and services.

 

 

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Documents

Presentations
• Electronic Commerce Panels & Papers: National Information Systems Security Conference, October 22-25, 1996
• National Information Systems Security Conference. Proceedings, October 1997.
• Expanding Access To the National Information Infrastructure For Individuals and Community Organizations: Open Architecture and Affordable, Digital Bandwidth presentation by Daniel J. Weitzner, Deputy Director, Center for Democracy and Technology to FCC Bandwidth Forum.

 
Papers
• Electronic Commerce Applications of the National Information Infrastructure
• Electronic Commerce and the NII (National Information Infrastructure)
• How Is the Federal Government Helping to Accelerate the Development and Deployment of Electronic Commerce Applications?
• Global Electronic Commerce Report -- from CSPP
• A Few Illustrations of Electronic Commerce Applications.  Wal-Mart, General Motors, U.S. Customs Services, and others using electronic commerce.
• The Final Architecture document (Streamlining Procurement Through Electronic Commerce) from the Federal Electronic Commerce Acquisition Program Management Office, (ECAPMO) formally the Federal Electronic Commerce Acquisition Tam or ECAT
• Initiative in Electronic Commerce -- from the European Commission on Electronic Commerce
• Java in the Real World. Examples of Java and the Internet being used for electronic commerce solutions.
• Java White Papers. Papers describing the language Java and its use in Internet applications.
• US Commerce Dept. Report on Emerging Digital Economy -- download a 60 page report as well as a larger 300 page report that includes five appendices of strategic analysis and case studies, covering Internet buildout, business-business, digital delivery, digital workers and consumers
• White House Framework for Global Electronic Commerce

 
Courses
• Seminar in Electronic Commerce -- Stanford. Spring '98
• Intellectual Property in CyberSpace -- Harvard Law. Spring '98.
• Electronic Commerce -- George Washington University. Spring '98.

 

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Legislation

Enacted Legislation

Statutes

• Telecommunications Act of 1996
• Senate vote 91 Y - 5 N
• House vote 414 Y - 16 N
• Child Pornography Statute - 18 USC §2252 et seq.
• Copyright Statute 17 USC §§110-810
• Computer Fraud and Abuse Act 18 USC §1030
• The Computer Security Act of 1987
• Credit Card Abuse 18 USC §1029 (1991)
• Electronic Communications Privacy Act 18 USC §2701 (1988)
• Federal Guidelines for Searching and Seizing Computers from the US Dept. of Justice.
• Federal Wiretap Act 18 USC 1343
• Freedom of Information Act
• Lanham Act (Trademark)
• Patent Act
• PTO Proposed Examination Guidelines for Computer-implemented Inventions
• Obscene or Harassing Telephone Calls - 47 USC §223
• Transportation of Obscene Matter for Sale or Distribution - 18 USC §1465
• Communications Decency Act
• Proposed Illinois Electronic Writing and Signature Act DRAFT: December 2, 1996

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Law Cases

Legal Resources

• ACLU Cyber-Liberties
• CyberSpace Law Center
• CyberSpace Law Resources -- Institutions and newsletters devoted to legal issues in cyberspace law.
• CyberSpace Law for Non-Lawyers -- legal lessons about copyright, trademark, contract, libel, privacy, free speech, and content regulation in cyberspace; written by lawyers for non-lawyers.
• The Electronic Commerce Division of the American Bar Assocaition -- committee of the ABA devoted to addressing developing issues of electronic commerce
• ABA Subcommittee on Electronic Financial Services (SEFS) -- to provide the Bar with the tools to

facilitate the implementation of electronic financial activities.
• A Guide to the Proposed Law on Software Transactions: Draft UCC Article 2B -- proposed changes in Unifrom Comercial Code to reflect electronic commerce.
• Uniform Electronic Transactions Act -- latest draft, March 23, 1998.

 

Case Law

• Reno v. ACLU, ACLU v. Reno full case information from the ACLU, including Supreme Court breifs, oral arguements, trial and circuit court opinions and more.
• U.S. v. Thomas, 1196 Fed App. 0032P (6th Cir. 1996)
• Cubby v. Compuserve, 776 F. Supp. 135 (S.D.N.Y. 1991)
• CompuServe v Patterson 89 F.3d 1257  Individual doing business over Internet could be sued in state where computer files reside.
• U.S. v. Lamacchia, 871 F. Supp. 535 (D. Mass. 1994)
• U.S. v. Jake Baker, 890 F. Supp. 1375 (E.D. Mich. 1995)
• Stratton Oakmont, Inc. v. Prodigy, 1995 NY Misc. Lexis 229
• Real Audio recordings of the oral arguments in key Supreme Court Decisions. These are unedited recordings of the actual oral arguments! Includes Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade and other privacy cases. Brought to you by Jerry Goldman of Northwestern University

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Mailing Lists

• E-Commerce and Rights Management (E-CARM) For debate about (non) technical, administrative and managerial issues pertaining to: secure transactions, competing rights management models (e.g. ECMS, PICS, certificates, FIRM, etc.), evolving standards, supporting technologies and other approaches for enabling electronic commerce. For information about upcoming conferences, workshops, etc. and pointers to online papers, resources/links, new apps, web sites, etc.

To subscribe: Send a message to e-carm-request@lists.kc-inc.net with the keyword "subscribe" in the body
• European Commission's discussion lists on electronic commerce. These lists were setup to support the G7 working groups on electronic commerce, and to allow for a wide discussion on the opportunities of electronic commerce in Europe and the barriers to the development and uptake of electronic commerce, electronic discussion lists have been created.
• Internet Commerce Australia mailing list. To discuss issues related to the use of the Internet for electronic commerce in Australia. Goals: (1) collaborative pilot projects in Internet-based electronic commerce (2) keeping readers up to date on security matters (3) basis for Government policy   formulation.

To subscribe: Send a message to ica-request@syd.dit.csiro.au with the keyword single word "subscribe" in the body and no signature file.

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Glossary

Electronic Commerce

Can be simply described as doing business electronically. More precisely it is conducting the exchange of information using a combination of structured messages (EDI), unstructured messages (Email), data, databases and database access across the entire range of networking technologies. The sharing of information with business partners leads to cost savings, increased competitiveness, improved customer relations and greater efficiency through the redesign of traditional processes.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Electronic data interchange (EDI) is the exchange of documents in a structured form between computers via telephone lines. It is being increasingly used to great effect worldwide, most commonly, but not exclusively, for purchasing and distribution - orders, confirmations, shipping papers and invoices - but also for dentists payments and the distribution of exam results.

Electronic Directories

A directory is quite simply a database containing information held in a logical structure. Key details about the users of messaging systems are kept here, most importantly their address. X.500 Directories can be distributed, residing on several computer systems, perhaps spread over a number of sites. However the combined information can be accessed from a single point. This has numerous advantages for organisations not least the additional processing power. Furthermore, if one machine goes down, the directories continue to work.

 

The information structure behind an X.500 Directory is called the Directory Information Tree (DIT) where information is held in hierarchical form as required by the organisation. It may start with countries at the top, followed by organisations, then departments and finally individuals.

Electronic purses

Using smart card technology an electronic purse is created with cash stored electronically on a microchip, creating a pre-payment card which can then be used to buy a range of goods and services. This allows the safe transfer of value to another electronic purse. Trials are underway in many countries - in the UK, the Mondex trial started in 1995.

Email

Electronic Mail (Email) is the electronic exchange of unstructured information. Users can send, receive, forward and store text messages or chunks of data quickly and easily, regardless of time zone or geographic location. It is fast becoming a quick and efficient alternative to more traditional forms of communications such as memos, facsimiles, telephone, voice mall, the postal system and even face to face meetings.

Extranet

An Internet-based virtual network joining the Intranets of different enterprises together, making a collaborative inter-enterprise electronic community.

FEDI

Financial Electronic Data Interchange (FEDI) involves the computer to computer transmission of both payment instructions and remittance details using international message standards. An example would be trade payments - eg a retailer sending a payment to a supplier in payment of multiple invoices.

Hybrid EDI

Introduced by service providers to accommodate situations in which only one trading partner is capable of using EDI, while the other continues to trade using traditional methods involving paper or fax. An example would be a trading partner sending an electronic purchase order which is then faxed by a service provider to the recipient.

Internet

A global network of networks, it provides connections for sending electronic mail messages, transferring files, linking to other computers and accessing information available in a variety of different forms, such as bulletin boards for people with common interests or electronic product catalogues.

Internet Cash

Purchased from an issuer (bank or credit institution) and then exchanged freely over the Internet. It is aimed at low value payments, both cross border and domestic. Internet cash will be bought in local currency, with the buyer then sending the ecash to the seller in an Internet message.

Intranet

Narrowly, it is the use of low-cost Internet technologies to create internal information networks. More broadly, it spans an organisation's entire information network, including the use of Internet technologies as well as PC-to-host connectivity, mobile communications, client/server networks and integration of data warehouses, for example.

Multimedia

Multimedia represents the merging of the computer, communications and broadcasting industries. By combining a variety of information sources, such as voice, graphics, animation, images, audio and video in an exciting and highly dynamic medium, multimedia systems will revolutionise the way we work, learn and play.

Online Catalog

An online catalogue is basically a website which allows products to be viewed and ordered online. To help with shopping online, the customer needs an electronic trolley to wheel round the catalogue and load up with shopping.

Purchasing card

Aimed at the business market, the purchasing card allows company staff to deal directly with suppliers and reduce costs by cutting out paper, eg the need for a purchase order. Orders can be placed over the phone and the company receives management information detailing spending by employee, supplier etc.

Smart cards

A plastic card incorporating an embedded microchip - a tiny computer. In extensive use in France and Germany.

World Wide Web (WWW)

Currently the fastest-growing aspect of the Internet, it allows information to be accessed by subject matter regardless of its location - a real advantage in a network as vast and complex as the Internet. Users move automatically from one database (or site) of interest to another using 'hyperlinks'. Increasing levels of complexity enable interactive, multimedia facilities to be developed.

X.400

A set of internationally-agreed recommendations describing a standard approach to building messaging Systems which can be used to carry Email, EDI, fax and a range of other data. X.400 boasts a number of key features not available on Internet mail systems, including notifications confirming the delivery or non-delivery of messages and security.

X.500

Comparable to an electronic yellow pages where a wide variety of data can be stored - names, Email and postal addresses, phone numbers, even photos and video clips. Information on machines and the routing of Email can also be stored here and used by a message handling system. X.500 is also a series of internationally-agreed standards detailing how to build such a directory. It is most frequently used as a corporate address book, but has the potential to become a global source of information.

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References

• Computer Systems Policy Project -- reports on electronic commerce.
• CommunicationsWeek Web Commerce -- guide to electronic commerce and doing business on the Web
• Encyclopedia of the New Economy -- Detailed comprehensive guide.
• I-World's Guide to Electronic Commerce.
• InformationWeek's Electronic Commerce Guide
• Ten Laws the Net Needs -- vote on ten laws for the net recommended by CNET

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In The News

• Network Associates Challenges Encryption Ban -- March 20, 1998. Network Associates begins

encryption software overseas. 
• Hewlett Packard Develops its Own Java -- March 20, 1998.
• Microsoft gets Java jolt -- March 17, 1998, The U.S. Justice Department has expanded its probe into Microsoft Corp.'s business dealings to include Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java programming language.
• Clinton: no new "Net" taxes -- Feb, 26, 1998, President Clinton urges state governors not to pass sales tax on Internet sales.
• UPS: In E-Commerce We Trust --UPS announces an on-line service for delivery of legally binding contracts.
• CERT Alerts. Urgent, time-sensitive security information.
• CNET -- technology news
• E-Commerce daily news
• Wired News.

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