ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ACT 2000

Raashida & Sangeetha

WHY WAS THE ACT NEEDED?

They wanted people to feel secure that any electronic documentation or

electronic contracts were as genuine and legally binding as those on

paper. Where money is involved, businesses need to be confident that

documents transmitted electronically such as orders or invoices are

genuine and have not been altered in any way. They also need to feel

secure that others cannot access any confidential or personal information

transmitted electronically.

The electronic communications act 2000 was passed with the intention of

creating framework that would provide that confidence to individuals and

businesses.

THE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS ACT

There are two parts to the Electronic Communications Act• Part 1

• Allows Cryptography serveries in the UK

• Part 2• Allows Electronic Signatures

Both of these are important for transactions to take place

electronically (e.g. via the internet)

It also means that legislations and contracts don’t can be

electronically updated and not by hand.

CRYPTOGRAPHY

It is a method of scrambling information, this increases

security. Therefore it can only be accessed by who needs to

access it.

Its been used by banks and the government for years. It

could be helpful to other companies that electronically trade.

The government has a list of cryptography providers. These

can be an option for companies, they don’t have to use those,

but as trust is required they might wish to do so.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES

An electronic signature is a digital mark, code or other symbol

that is associated with a particular individual. It can be used to

sign an electronic document and is used in place of a hand

written signature.

It can confirm that the communication is authentic and hasn’t

been tampered with.

The owner of the electronic signature can be checked and

verified in several ways, for example through a certificate

provided by a special provider.

BENEFITS

Businesses and individuals engaging in e-

commerce can feel secure that their transactions are

safe and secure.

Businesses and individuals can feel secure that

documents or contacts signed with an electronic

signature are as legally binding as those signed by

hand.

PROBLEMS WITH THE ACT

Even though this act means that digital signatures have

been legally binding for many years, most people have never

heard of them or are still suspicious about their use. It is

likely to take many years before their use becomes

acceptable and commonplace.

Many people still distrust the security of digital signatures.

The very first official digital signature used after passing the

act was ‘hijacked’ within 24 hours of its creation.