Pervasive national commitment to rule of law is the final, and perhaps most important, element in this infrastructure. Mann said U.S. progression into e-commerce has been supported by an established body of business and contract law that gave entrepreneurs confidence that cyberspace transactions would be conducted within the same legal framework. In contrast, Mann said some nations are working to develop specific laws to govern e-commerce. She said this is a futile effort if practices of contract law, fair enforcement and impartial justice are not already well established. Mann acknowledged that great uncertainty still exists in the rapidly expanding field of e-commerce.
Many questions still surround issues such as individual privacy, taxation and free speech.
But policymakers should not allow those uncertainties to restrain their pursuit of e-commerce opportunities, Mann said.