E-commerce Solutions and Legal Frameworks

Why Study IT Law?

• Technology significantly impacts daily life (online shopping, social media, education).
• Traditional laws don't always address digital issues (artificial intelligence, cloud storage).
• IT law helps users and professionals understand legal possibilities and limitations.
• Misusing technology or breaking IT laws can have serious consequences.

What is Law?

• Historical definitions of law often focused on punishment (Han Dynasty).
• Some saw law as a tool for class control (Karl Marx).
• Other views treated law as rules set by superiors (John Austin).
• Modern legal definitions describe law as binding rules enforced by authority (US Legal Dictionary).
• Law provides rules and sanctions to regulate and organize society (Oxford Dictionary, Pietro Sirena).

What is IT Law?

• IT law tackles legal challenges in the digital world.
• It encompasses rules for data storage, transmission, and manipulation through computers and the internet.
• This involves reinterpreting existing laws to fit technological issues and creating new ones for new technologies (storage, transmission).

Internet Governance

• The internet's decentralized structure uses cooperative efforts among public and private entities to create rules, policies, and standards for the internet.
• Governance is crucial as the internet spans many countries and systems.
• It involves creating rules and policies for how the internet functions and is used.

The Internet

• The internet connects devices globally, enabling information and service access.
• It comprises a network of smaller networks.
• Internet governance is crucial for global interoperability.

Domain Names

• Domain names are user-friendly translations of numerical IP addresses.
• They represent websites and other internet resources.
• Key features include memorability, categorization, and stability.
• Domain name systems (DNS) translate them into IP addresses.

Domain Name System (DNS)

• The Domain Name System is a hierarchical system that translates domain names to IP addresses.
• Domain names are mapped to IP addresses using a distributed database.
• It is crucial for website address accessibility.
• The DNS is vital for the smooth functioning of the internet.

Problematic Issues in IT Law/ Domain Names

• Domain name allocation processes.
• Types of permitted top-level domains (TLDs).
• Domain names function both technically and economically.
• Legal issues surrounding their use as property, particularly trademarks, are emerging.

Internet Governance: Legal considerations

• The lack of global legal frameworks leads to varying national laws.
• There is a need for more coordination among nations.
• Legal systems may be insufficient for digital technologies.
• The EU approach for internet naming and address issues is an example of potential future global collaboration.

Privacy and Data Protection in IT

• Personal data collection is a key concern in the digital age.
• Identifying personal information, whether direct (names, IDs) or indirect (location, cookies), is tricky.
• Data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) set rules for data collection, storage, use, and sharing to protect individual rights.
• Important distinctions exist between regulations like US laws that prioritize user rights and those like the EU, which mandate stronger data protections.

Data Breaches Notifications and Sanctions

• A data breach jeopardizes confidentiality, availability, and data integrity.
• Notifications to supervisory authorities and affected individuals are crucial.
• GDPR outlines various sanctions for breaches.
• Factors such as the nature and severity of the breach, the organization's cooperation, and mitigation measures will influence any penalties.

eContracts and IT Contracts

• Contracts involving technology can take various forms.
• These include standard software licenses, custom software agreements, and contracts dealing with IT devices or hardware.
• These can also involve software or hardware support.
• A critical consideration in e-commerce is how to deal with transactions and contracts among multiple parties (e.g., B2B, B2C, C2C).

Ethical Implications of AI

• Key ethical considerations include fairness, transparency, and accountability.
• Algorithmic bias from historical data can perpetuate social inequalities.
• Transparency, auditability and mitigation of biases for AI systems in justice and hiring are urgent concerns.
• The significant global disparity in access to technology for AI (or other digital) products and services also needs consideration.

Overview of E-commerce

• E-commerce involves online buying, selling, or transferring goods or services.
• Key business models include B2C, B2B, C2C and C2B.
• Business models are constantly changing due to technologies and trends.
• Several factors, such as user experience, legal compliance and business strategies are vital for e-commerce success.

Overview of Social Networks

• Social networks involve platforms enabling communication, content sharing, and interaction across geographical distances.
• This involves communication, interaction, activism, and influencing public opinion, education and commerce.
• Online platforms have increased connectivity but also present concerns about privacy, misinformation, and the potential spread of hate speech.

Crowdfunding

• Crowdfunding is a way for startups or non-profits to raise funds through online campaigns.
• Crowdfunding activities use many different models for rewards, investment, or donations.
• This can involve multiple parties, raising various legal and regulatory concerns.
• Legal frameworks vary across regions (e.g., EU, US, Italy), leading to significant challenges.

NFTs

• Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets, mainly used as proof of ownership of digital or physical items.
• These bring new challenges in regard to IP (intellectual property), copyright and ownership conflicts, especially since they are decentralized.
• Their unique characteristics and the lack of globally standardized legal frameworks introduce challenges regarding ownership, use, and protection of rights.

Cloud Computing

• Cloud computing provides remote data storage and processing.
• It comprises different service models like IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS.
• Important considerations for cloud services involve security, ownership, and legal compliance, especially with GDPR (EU), which will need to be adapted across different markets.
• The management and storage of sensitive data raises major legal and security concerns.

IoT

• The Internet of Things (IoT) connects everyday devices to the internet for data collection and sharing.
• This involves several key components like devices (things), gateways, cloud services, analytics, and a user interface.
• Potential concerns include security vulnerabilities, data privacy, and the need for standardized regulations.
• This involves various challenges in regulating the myriad connections of devices (things), gateways, cloud services, analytics, and a user interface.

Digital Identity

• Digital identity is a digital representation of a person or entity.
• This can involve various aspects, like authentication and verification processes, which should be adapted to legal frameworks.
• Key aspects are direct identifiers (name, ID) and indirect identifiers (email, IP address).
• Businesses and users use digital identities for various purposes such as financial services, government, healthcare, etc.

Cryptocurrency

• Cryptocurrencies are digital or virtual currencies.
• They are decentralized, using blockchain technology.
• Cryptocurrencies can pose challenges to existing financial systems.
• Existing legal frameworks and financial systems will have to adapt and address these issues.

This quiz explores key components of e-commerce platforms, the selection of e-commerce solutions, and legal considerations that companies must address. It includes questions about customer expectations, ethical crowdfunding, and the evolution of AI and IT law. Test your knowledge on the intersection of technology and legal frameworks in e-commerce.