Creating confidence in electronic transactions Trustmarks

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Creating confidence in electronic transactions -
Trustmarks

• Creating trust in e-commerce
• Basic aspects regarding Trustmarks
• National and Regional Trustmarks schemes
• European approach on eConfidence

Bogdan Manolea
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Trust and Electronic Commerce

• Slow development of e-commerce in European Union
• Strong political imperative to create trust in
  doing business over the Internet
• eEurope - The Lisbon summit - 23-24 March 2000,
  referred specifically to this subject in its
  conclusions "the Commission and the Council to
  consider how to promote consumer confidence in
  electronic commerce

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Methods to create confidence in electronic
transactions

• Codes of conduct
• Trust Seals (Trustmarks)
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Consumer Protections actions
• Regulatory Initiatives

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Trustmark definition

• Trustmark A label or visual representation
  showing participation in a trustmark scheme. A
  subscriber to a trustmark scheme can display a
  trustmark if he meets the trustmark requirements.
• Trustmark schemes Any body providing a trustmark
  to B2C e-merchants after positive assessment on
  the basis of own criteria.

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Trustmark key elements

• Aimed at Business to Consumer (B2C) activities
• Supplementary to legal obligations
• Voluntary participation
• Compliance with set of business practices
• Provide a high standard of consumer protection
• Encourage sales of goods and services on Internet

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Examples of Trustmark schemes requirements

• Plain and intelligible language
• Commercial communications and fair marketing
  practices
• Addressing children
• Pre-contractual information
• Confirmation process

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Examples of Trustmark schemes requirements (2)

• Contractual performance
• Payment and Security issues
• Data protection aspects
• Internal complaints management
• Dispute settlement for consumer complaints

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National Trustmarks Initiatives

• TrustUK Great Britain - www.trustuk.org.uk
• L_at_belsite France - www.labelsite.org
• Trusted Shops - German initiative -
  www.trustedshops.de
• BBB Online US - www.bbbonline.org
• Japan DMA Japan - www.jadma.org

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Regional Trustmarks Initiatives

• North America BBB Online
• Asia Asia Trustmark Alliance
• Europe
• Trusted Shops
• OnlineConfidence
• Global Trustmark Alliance- GTA

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European eConfidence Initiatives Eurochambers
integrated approach

• European Code of Conduct (concluded in
  cooperation with European Federation of Direct
  Marketing Associations)
• European Label based on its code of conduct and
  dispute settlement methods
• European Online Dispute Resolution System
  OnlineConfidence www.onlineconfidence.org

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European Approach - eConfidence project

• Mr Erkki Liikanen - Brussels, 18 February 2003
• eConfidence is a package of measures, which
  includes the promotion of high standards of good
  business practices (e.g. codes of conduct,
  trust-marks, complaint settlement procedures),
  and affordable access to third-party alternative
  dispute resolution (ADR) systems.
• The promotion by the Commission of high standards
  of good business practices such as codes of
  conduct and trustmarks is an example of our
  desire to support self-regulatory initiatives.

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European Approach - eConfidence project

• Online eConfidence Forum has been set up by the
  European Commission - http//econfidence.jrc.it/
• An eConfidence group for discussions about
  trustmark requirements at European level was
  created
• An agreement has been agreed between European
  employers organisation UNICE and the European
  Consumer BEUC on a European Framework for
  e-commerce trustmark schemes at the end of 2001

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European Approach - eConfidence project next
steps

• The European Commission will issue a
  recommendation to improve confidence in
  e-commerce in the first half of this year
• Trustmarks can play an important part in this
  process. However, the huge number of trustmark
  schemes currently operating is counterproductive.
  To combat this, the Commission will lay down a
  set of standardised trustmark criteria and create
  a better understanding of the 'trustmark
  concept, based on the agreement between UNICE
  and BEUC.

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European Approach - eConfidence project next
steps

• An international congress on the Trustmarks in
  ecommerce will be held in Luxembourg
• 17 19 September 2003
• http//www.e-trustmarks.lu

Bogdan Manolea
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Thank you !
Bogdan Manolea bogdan_at_internews.org
www.riti-internews.ro