NCC Members have free access to this Guideline on the Principia website.

The legislation in the areas of e-commerce and IT is complex and constantly changing. Both Europe and the UK government have recognised the need to accelerate the adoption of e-commerce applications to give businesses a competitive edge. The thrust of developments in the e-commerce and IT sectors in the past year has been to promulgate European and UK legislation which will promote the adoption of e-commerce.

A number of legislative initiatives in the EU and the UK affect business conducted on-line, including the Electronic Communications Act which facilitates the use of electronic communication in all areas and clarifies the legal status of e-commerce, and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act which updates the law on interception of communications. This paper focuses on the aspects of these developments that are most relevant to e-business.

This paper is only a general overview of the subject and specific advice should be sought on issues raised.

The position shown is correct to the end of March 2001.