E-commerce †the legal considerations Essay -- Computer Science

E-commerce the legal considerations=====================================There are lots of legal considerations and Ive tried to include someof the of import ones. Although e-commerce can mean a lot of things, hereIve related it to coiffureually selling items on a website (although a lotof the legal considerations would necessity to be considered even if youwere not selling on the web.Data protection considerations==============================The Data Protection Act lays down lots of rules that must be adheredto. If this is a website for a company that is already trading andkeeps customer data then they should already be registered with theInformation Commissioner but you may need to review whats beenregistered. The main directs you need to consider is that for any datayou collect on the site you must Deal fairly with the info recognize the customer what data you collect Tell them what you are going to do with it Keep it safe and secureThis should be set out in the websites te rms and conditions (and youshould link to it at the main point where you collect the data)Website terms and conditions----------------------------The site must have comprehensive terms and conditions and you willneed to link to these wherever applicable (eg if you are selling at that placeshould be a check box that the consumer ticks to say I have read theterms and conditions etc etc. Things the terms and conditions shouldcontain include Data protection act considerations (as explained above) Terms and conditions of use including copy overcompensate notice, generaldisclaimer, liabilities (or non-liabilities especially in terms ofcredit card fraud) Full name, address, email etc of the treatr, VAT number, Companynumber, member of trade organisation (if you are selling) A clear secretiveness policy explaining what you do with informationcollected on the site. This privacy policy must also set out if youuse cookies on the site and what you use them for. This is all topicalat the mom ent with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regs 2003 A clear conditions of bargain which includes details of when thecontract is actually formed (ie the order represents the offer and theemail back confirming dispatch represents the acceptance) - avoid anymistakes like the Argos TV for 3.99 lighten up returns policy... ... encouraging more internetsales. At the same time, credit card companies are including creditcard fraud insurance, again reassuring consumers mobile connectivity===================Handheld PDA, WAP services and wireless hotspots are all making webaccess easierIntelligent sites and targeted marketing========================================Sites are becoming more technologically advanced allowing companies totarget customers with specific products depending on their recordedpreferences or previous buying habits. One of the best examples ofthis is Amazon who instantly provide other book recommendations groundon your purchase or on the purchases of other c ustomers who bought thesame book.Similar data collection also allows companies to do targeted emailcampaigns ensuring the right product is marketed to the right person(well thats the intention anyway)This practice is being taken one step further with Googles plannedg-mail which will automatically scan the content of a users personalemails and then deliver further targeted mails based on their content(but which is subject to a lot of criticism at the moment aboutprivacy rights)