E-Commerce

Objective

Support policies that advance the growth of e-commerce while respecting the economic and privacy interests of consumers.

Summary of the Issue

For e-commerce growth to continue, online retailers require assurances that barriers to doing business are minimal, and that any regulations that do exist are predictable and consistent. Disparate laws and regulations between jurisdictions can increase the costs of providing goods to consumers and prevent new ventures from forming altogether.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will address several specific issues within e-commerce, including:

• Privacy – At all levels of government and across borders, policymakers are engaged in a privacy debate about the appropriate use of a consumer's personal information. Any new regulations should focus on fraudulent behavior and resist the temptation to impose harsh restrictions on legitimate commercial practices.
  
• Spam – Unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail, more often referred to as "spam," undermines consumer confidence in e-commerce. To combat this nuisance, the U.S. Chamber supported a new law that prohibits pornographic, fraudulent and misleading spam. The U.S. Chamber has also joined the Federal Trade Commission in organizing the business community in an attempt to stop the proliferation of spam and to ensure compliance with user "opt-out" preferences.
  
• Data Security – Consumers must be confident that their personal data is secure. The U.S. Chamber has hosted a series of educational forums across the country on how businesses can better protect their customers' data.

U.S. Chamber Strategy

• Continue to oppose overly burdensome regulation that would stifle the growth of e-commerce.
  
• Work to craft practical, meaningful data security legislation that includes a unified national breach notification standard.
  
• Conduct a qualitative analysis of how industry uses information to fight fraud and save consumers money.

Staff Contact Information

Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs Division
(202) 463-5533
environment@uschamber.com