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U.S.
Economy >
E-Commerce |
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What
kind of information materials are available?   |
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There
are a range of policy issues which will certainly affect the future
of e-commerce activities. Internet use erases national boundaries, and
the growth of e-commerce on the Internet and the complexity of these
issues mean that domestic and global e-commerce policies will become
increasingly intertwined. Issues currently under discussion include
Internet taxation, encryption and electronic authentication (i.e., digital
signatures), intellectual property protection (i.e., patent or copyright
infringement), computer network security, privacy safeguards for individuals
and organizations, and telecommunications infrastructure development.
In the United States, legislation enacted as a result of the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001(USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001, P.L. 107-56)
gave U.S. lawmakers greater authority to gain access to electronic financial
transactions (for example, to ferret out illegal money laundering). |
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| Texts
are abridged from U.S. State Department IIP
publications and other U.S. government materials. |
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| What
kind of information materials are available?
CD: These documents are available in fulltext format on the About the USA CD-ROM. Teachers: Request a copy for classroom use. L: Selected documents are available in German as well as other languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, Persian and Turkish. |
The
convergence of computer and telecommunications technologies has revolutionized
how we get, store, retrieve, and share information. Consumers now routinely
use computer networks to identify sellers, evaluate products and services,
compare prices, and exert market leverage. Electronic commerce (e-commerce)
are business processes which shift transactions to the Internet. E-commerce
is growing at a rapid rate. The value of e-commerce transactions, while
still small relative to the size of the U.S. economy, continues to show
strong growth despite a recent economic downturn. More significant than
the dollar amount of these transactions, however, are the new business
processes. Many new Internet-based companies and traditional producers
of goods and services are working to transform their business processes
into e-commerce processes in an effort to lower costs, improve customer
service, and increase productivity, with varying degrees of success. DISCLAIMER
Any reference obtained from this server to a specific commercial product, process, or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the United States Government of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government. |
