Info from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop

III. ONLINE DISCLOSURES
A. INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUSINESS
Businesses engaged in electronic commerce with consumers should provide accurate, clear and
easily accessible information about themselves sufficient to allow, at a minimum:
i) Identification of the business - including the legal name of the business and the name
under which the business trades; the principal geographic address for the business; email
address or other electronic means of contact, or telephone number; and, where
applicable, an address for registration purposes and any relevant government
registration or license numbers;
ii) Prompt, easy and effective consumer communication with the business;
iii) Appropriate and effective resolution of disputes;
iv) Service of legal process; and
v) Location of the business and its principals by law enforcement and regulatory officials
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Where a business publicises its membership in any relevant self-regulatory scheme, business
association, dispute resolution organisation or other certification body, the business should
provide consumers with appropriate contact details and an easy method of verifying that
membership and of accessing the relevant codes and practices of the certification body.
B. INFORMATION ABOUT THE GOODS OR SERVICES
Businesses engaged in electronic commerce with consumers should provide accurate and easily
accessible information describing the goods or services offered; sufficient to enable consumers to make an
informed decision about whether to enter into the transaction and in a manner that makes it possible for
consumers to maintain an adequate record of such information.
C. INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION
Businesses engaged in electronic commerce should provide sufficient information about the
terms, conditions and costs associated with a transaction to enable consumers to make an informed
decision about whether to enter into the transaction.
Such information should be clear, accurate, easily accessible, and provided in manner that gives
consumers an adequate opportunity for review before entering into the transaction.
Where more than one language is available to conduct a transaction, businesses should make
available in those same languages all information necessary for consumers to make an informed
decision about the transaction.
Businesses should provide consumers with a clear and full text of the relevant terms and
conditions of the transaction in a manner that makes it possible for consumers to access and
maintain an adequate record of such information.
Where applicable and appropriate given the transaction, such information should include the
following:
i) an itemisation of total costs collected and/or imposed by the business;
ii) notice of the existence of other routinely applicable costs to the consumer that are
not collected and/or imposed by the business;
iii) terms of delivery or performance;
iv) terms, conditions, and methods of payment;
v) restrictions, limitations or conditions of purchase, such as parental/guardian
approval requirements, geographic or time restrictions;
vi) instructions for proper use including safety and health care warnings;
vii) information relating to available after-sales service
viii) details of and conditions related to withdrawal, termination, return, exchange,
cancellation and/or refund policy information; and
ix) available warranties and guarantees.
All information that refers to costs should indicate the applicable currency.

IV. CONFIRMATION PROCESS
To avoid ambiguity concerning the consumer's intent to make a purchase, the consumer should
be able, before concluding the purchase, to identify precisely the goods or services he or she wishes to
purchase; identify and correct any errors or modify the order; express an informed and deliberate consent
to the purchase; and retain a complete and accurate record of the transaction.
The consumer should be able to cancel the transaction before concluding the purchase.
V. PAYMENT
Consumers should be provided with easy-to-use, secure payment mechanisms and information on
the level of security such mechanisms afford.
Limitations of liability for unauthorised or fraudulent use of payment systems, and chargeback
mechanisms offer powerful tools to enhance consumer confidence and their development and use
should be encouraged in the context of electronic commerce.
VI. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND REDRESS
A. APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION
Business-to-consumer cross-border transactions, whether carried out electronically or otherwise,
are subject to the existing framework on applicable law and jurisdiction.
Electronic commerce poses challenges to this existing framework. Therefore, consideration
should be given to whether the existing framework for applicable law and jurisdiction should be modified,
or applied differently, to ensure effective and transparent consumer protection in the context of the
continued growth of electronic commerce.
In considering whether to modify the existing framework, governments should seek to ensure that
the framework provides fairness to consumers and business, facilitates electronic commerce, results in
consumers having a level of protection not less than that afforded in other forms of commerce, and
provides consumers with meaningful access to fair and timely dispute resolution and redress without undue
cost or burden.
B. ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND REDRESS
Consumers should be provided meaningful access to fair and timely alternative dispute
resolution and redress without undue cost or burden.
Businesses, consumer representatives and governments should work together to continue to use
and develop fair, effective and transparent self-regulatory and other policies and procedures,
including alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, to address consumer complaints and to
resolve consumer disputes arising from business-to-consumer electronic commerce, with special
attention to cross-border transactions.
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i) Businesses and consumer representatives should continue to establish fair, effective and
transparent internal mechanisms to address and respond to consumer complaints and
difficulties in a fair and timely manner and without undue cost or burden to the
consumer. Consumers should be encouraged to take advantage of such mechanisms.
ii) Businesses and consumer representatives should continue to establish co-operative selfregulatory
programs to address consumer complaints and to assist consumers in
resolving disputes arising from business-to-consumer electronic commerce.
iii) Businesses, consumer representatives and governments should work together to
continue to provide consumers with the option of alternative dispute resolution
mechanisms that provide effective resolution of the dispute in a fair and timely manner
and without undue cost or burden to the consumer.
iv) In implementing the above, businesses, consumer representatives and governments
should employ information technologies innovatively and use them to enhance
consumer awareness and freedom of choice.
In addition, further study is required to meet the objectives of Section VI at an international level.

VII. PRIVACY
Business-to-consumer electronic commerce should be conducted in accordance with the
recognised privacy principles set out in the OECD Guidelines Governing the Protection of Privacy and
Transborder Flow of Personal Data (1980), and taking into account the OECD Ministerial Declaration on
the Protection of Privacy on Global Networks (1998), to provide appropriate and effective protection for
consumers.
VIII. EDUCATION AND AWARENESS
Governments, business and consumer representatives should work together to educate consumers
about electronic commerce, to foster informed decision-making by consumers participating in electronic
commerce, and to increase business and consumer awareness of the consumer protection framework that
applies to their online activities.
Governments, business, the media, educational institutions and consumer representatives should
make use of all effective means to educate consumers and businesses, including innovative
techniques made possible by global networks.
Governments, consumer representatives and businesses should work together to provide
information to consumers and businesses globally about relevant consumer protection laws and
remedies in an easily accessible and understandable form.
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PART THREE
IMPLEMENTATION
To achieve the purpose of this Recommendation, Member countries should at the national and
international level, and in co-operation with businesses, consumers and their representatives:
a) review and, if necessary, promote self-regulatory practices and/or adopt and adapt laws
and practices to make such laws and practices applicable to electronic commerce,
having in mind the principles of technology and media neutrality;
b) encourage continued private sector leadership that includes the participation of
consumer representatives in the development of effective self-regulatory mechanisms
that contain specific, substantive rules for dispute resolution and compliance
mechanisms;
c) encourage continued private sector leadership in the development of technology as a
tool to protect and empower consumers;
d) promote the existence, purpose and contents of the Guidelines as widely as possible and
encourage their use; and
e) facilitate consumers' ability to both access consumer education information and advice
and to file complaints related to electronic commerce.
PART FOUR
GLOBAL CO-OPERATION
In order to provide effective consumer protection in the context of global electronic commerce
Member countries should:
Facilitate communication, co-operation, and, where appropriate the development and
enforcement of joint initiatives at the international level among businesses, consumer
representatives and governments.
Through their judicial, regulatory, and law enforcement authorities co-operate at the international
level, as appropriate, through information exchange, co-ordination, communication, and joint
action to combat cross-border fraudulent, misleading and unfair commercial conduct.
Make use of existing international networks and enter into bilateral and/or multilateral
agreements or other arrangements as necessary and appropriate, to accomplish such co-operation.
Work toward building consensus, both at the national and international levels, on core consumer
protections to further the goals of enhancing consumer confidence, ensuring predictability for
businesses, and protecting consumers.
Co-operate and work toward developing agreements or other arrangements for the mutual
recognition and enforcement of judgments resulting from disputes between consumers and
businesses, and judgments resulting from law enforcement actions taken to combat fraudulent,
misleading or unfair commercial conduct.