Liberty and Autonomy in E-commerce

Topic

Liberty and Autonomy in E-commerce

Instructions

The boundary-less-ness of virtual business organizations in terms of geographical space has promised online shoppers an individual autonomy, a sense of liberty and a form of convenience. However, with the emergence of virtual spaces, various concerns have been raised in regard to consumer privacy, consumer rights and confidentiality of data. Hence, various laws have been affected by e-commerce activities, such as privacy laws, commercial laws and consumer laws.

Critically evaluate the above statement, explaining the legal implications and legislative concerns of e-commerce which deserve a greater attention from regulators and legislators. In debating this topic, you may call on knowledge derived from relevant research that has been carried out in various disciplines.

Your essay should be written in an academic style that is enriched with relevant examples, and documented with citations, footnotes and a bibliography.

Answer preview

Boundary-less-ness of e-commerce has raised issues in the recent past about its jurisdiction (Bratton, et al., 2010). E-commerce is done on the internet with no clear boundaries and more so, geopolitical political territories. In comparison to traditional trade which has distinct boundaries, e-commerce lack of territories makes it hard to comprehend. It is especially hard, if a complaint or crisis will arise since no particular country’s courts can adjudicate over the matter (Laudon, 2011). However, there are certain global legal requirements that define how the trade should be conducted hence reducing conflicts between the buyers and online shops. Jurisdiction in this context applies to coverage where a business operates and therefore, it trades in compliance with the rules and legislation of that area. In this essay, the jurisdiction matters of E-commerce will be comprehensively explored.

Word count: 1985