Source: http://www.paclii.org/vu/legis/consol_act/eta256/
Timestamp: 2020-02-28 09:02:49
Document Index: 763209035

Matched Legal Cases: ['ART 2', 'ART 3', 'ART 4', 'ART 5', 'ART 6', 'arts 2']

You are here: PacLII >> Databases >> Vanuatu Consolidated Legislation - 2006 >> Electronic Transactions Act
4. Government not obliged to use electronic records
5. Acceptance of electronic records by the Government
7. Exclusions by Minister
PART 2 – LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRONIC RECORDS
8. Legal recognition of electronic records
12. Original form
13. Retention of electronic records
14. Admissibility and evidential weight of electronic records
PART 3 – COMMUNICATION OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS
15. Formation and validity of contracts
16. Attribution of electronic records
17. Acknowledgement of receipt of electronic records
18. Time and place of dispatch and receipt of electronic records
PART 4 – ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES
19. Electronic signature associated with accredited certificate
20. Certification and revocation of certification
21. Recognition of external certification service providers
22. Pseudonyms
23. Liability of authorised certification service provider
PART 5 – ENCRYPTION AND DATA PROTECTION
PART 6 – INTERMEDIARIES AND E-COMMERCE SERVICE PROVIDERS
26. Liability of intermediaries
27. Procedure for dealing with unlawful, defamatory etc. information
28. Codes of conduct and standards for intermediaries and e-commerce service providers
29. Offence to contravene code of conduct or standards
An Act to make provision for electronic transactions, and for related matters.
"appropriate law enforcement agency" means:
(a)	the Public Prosecutor; or
(c)	a person prescribed for the purposes of any provision of this Act in which the expression occurs;
"approved form" means a form approved by the Minister for use under this Act;
"authorised certification service provider" means a certification service provider authorised under section 20(2) to provide accredited certificates;
"electronic agent device" means a program, or other electronic or automated means, that is used to initiate or respond to electronic records;
"information processing system" means an electronic system for creating, generating, sending, receiving, storing, displaying or otherwise processing information;
"personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual;
(a)	to enhance the reputation of Vanuatu as an international business centre; and
(b)	to facilitate electronic transactions by means of reliable electronic records; and
(c)	to remove uncertainties in relation to conducting transactions electronically with respect to the requirements for documents and for signatures to be in writing; and
(d)	to promote public confidence in the validity, integrity and reliability of conducting transactions electronically; and
(e)	to promote the development of the legal and business infrastructure necessary to implement electronic transactions securely.
The Government is to regulate transactions carried out by electronic means so as to:
(a)	permit and encourage the growth of business by electronic means through the operation of free market forces; and
(b)	promote the greatest possible use of industry self-regulation.
Nothing in this Act obliges any ministry, department or agency of the government to generate, send, receive, store or otherwise process any record by electronic means.
The Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, indicate that a ministry, department or agency of the government will receive and process electronic records relating to such matters as may be specified in the notice.
Parts 2 and 3 do not apply to any rule of law requiring writing or signatures for the following matters:
The Minister may, by order in writing, provide that this Act, or such provisions as are specified in the order, do not apply to any class of transactions, persons, matters or things specified in the order.
Information is not to be denied legal effect, validity, admissibility or enforceability solely on the ground that it is:
(a)	in the form of an electronic record; or
(b)	not contained in the electronic record purporting to give rise to such legal effect, but is referred to in that electronic record.
(1) If information is:
(a)	required by law to be in writing; or
(b)	described in any statutory provision as being written;
(1) If information is required by law to be delivered, dispatched, given or sent to, or to be served on a person, that requirement is met by doing so in the form of an electronic record if:
(a)	the originator of the electronic record states that the receipt of the electronic record is to be acknowledged; and
(b)	the addressee has acknowledged its receipt.
(1) If the signature of a person is required by law, that requirement is met by an electronic record if:
(a)	a method is used to identify that person and to indicate that he or she intended to sign or otherwise adopt the information in the electronic record; and
(b)	that method is as reliable as is appropriate for the purpose for which the electronic record was generated or communicated, in the light of all the circumstances, including any relevant agreement.
(2) An electronic record that meets the requirements of subsections (1) (a) and (1) (b) is not to be denied legal effect, validity and enforceability solely on the ground that it:
(a)	is not an electronic signature; or
(b)	is not associated with an accredited certificate.
(1) If information is required by law to be presented or retained in its original form, that requirement is met by an electronic record if:
(3) For the purposes of subsection (1) (a):
(1) If certain documents, records or information are required by law to be retained, that requirement is met by retaining electronic records if the following conditions are satisfied:
(3) A person may satisfy the requirement referred to in subsection (1) by using the services of any other person, if the conditions set out in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection (1) are met.
(1) In any legal proceedings, nothing in the rules of evidence is to apply so as to deny the admissibility of an electronic record in evidence:
(1) In the context of the formation of contracts, unless otherwise agreed by the parties, an offer and the acceptance of an offer may be expressed by means of electronic records.
(1) An electronic record is attributable to a person if the electronic record resulted from the action of the person, by the person’s agent or the person’s electronic agent device.
(1) Subsections (2), (3) and (4) apply where, on or before sending an electronic record, or by means of that electronic record, the originator has requested or has agreed with the addressee that receipt of the electronic record be acknowledged.
(1) Unless otherwise agreed between the originator and the addressee, the dispatch of an electronic record occurs when it enters an information processing system outside the control of the originator.
(4) Unless otherwise agreed between the originator and the addressee, an electronic record is taken to be dispatched at the place where the originator has his or her place of business, and is taken to be received at the addressee’s place of business.
19. Electronic signature associated with an accredited certificate
An electronic signature that is associated with an accredited certificate issued by an authorised certification service provider under section 20 is taken to satisfy the requirements of section 11(1) (a) and (b).
(1) A person may apply to the Minister for authorisation to provide accredited certificates.
(3)	The Minister may, if satisfied that the applicant:
(a)	has the knowledge and expertise to provide accredited certificates; and
(b)	has the technical capabilities to provide accredited certificates; and
(c)	meets any other prescribed criteria
(4) Subject to subsection (5), the Minister, if satisfied that an authorised certification service provider no longer meets the criteria in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection (3), may by notice published in the Gazette revoke an authorisation.
(a)	stating the Minister intends to revoke the authorisation; and
(b)	indicating the reasons for the proposed revocation; and
(c)	inviting that person, within 14 days of the notice, to submit representations in writing as to why the authorisation should not be revoked.
(6)	The Minister must consider any such representations in deciding whether to revoke the authorisation and give the authorised certification service provider written notice of his or her decision within 7 days after making it.
(7)	The revocation takes effect on the date specified in the notice.
(1) The Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, recognise:
(a)	certificates or classes of certificates issued in other jurisdictions; or
(b)	certification service providers or classes of certification service providers established in other jurisdictions.
(2)	Upon publication of the notice and on payment of the prescribed fee:
(a) those certificates or classes of certificates are taken to be accredited certificates; and
(b) those certification service providers or classes of certification service providers are taken to be authorised under section 20(2).
(3) In determining whether to accord recognition under subsection (1) the Minister must have regard to whether:
(5)	Before revoking any recognition, the Minister must give the person affected by the proposed revocation written notice:
(a)	stating the Minister intends to revoke the recognition; and
(b)	indicating the reasons for the proposed revocation;
(c)	inviting that person, within 14 days of the notice, to submit representations in writing as to why the recognition should not be revoked.
(6)	The Minister must consider any such representations in deciding whether to revoke the recognition and give the person written notice of his or her decision within 7 days after making it.
(1) Certification service providers may, at the request of a particular signatory, indicate in the relevant certificate a pseudonym instead of the signatory's name.
(1) By issuing an accredited certificate, an authorised certification service provider is liable to any person who reasonably relied on the certificate for:
(1) The Minister may make regulations:
(1) The Minister may make orders prescribing standards for the processing of personal data, whether or not the personal data originates inside Vanuatu.
(3)	A data controller or data processor who voluntarily registers to a standard in subsection (1) must comply with the standard, as it may be amended from time to time, in respect to any personal data that:
(a)	originates from a country to which the standard applies; and
(b)	is collected by the data controller during the period of registration, including any time after de-registration.
(1) An intermediary is not subject to any civil or criminal liability in respect of any information contained in an electronic record in respect of which the intermediary provides services if the intermediary was not the originator of that electronic record and the intermediary:
(1) If an intermediary has actual knowledge that the information in an electronic record gives rise to civil or criminal liability, the intermediary must as soon as practicable:
(4)	An intermediary is not liable (whether in contract, tort, under statute or pursuant to any other right) to any person, including any person on whose behalf the intermediary provides services in respect of information in an electronic record, for any action:
(a)	the intermediary takes in good faith under subsection (1); or
(b)	as directed by the Minister under subsection (3).
(1) If the Minister is satisfied that a body or organization represents intermediaries or e-commerce service providers, the Minister may, by notice given to the body or organization, request that body or organization to:
(g) business activities carried out electronically by companies under the Companies Act [Cap. 191] or the International Companies Act [Cap. 222] which are prohibited under that Act;
29. Offence to contravene code of conduct or standard
(1) If a code of conduct or a standard is approved by the Minister under section 28 to apply to intermediaries or e-commerce service providers, those intermediaries or e-commerce service providers must comply with the code of conduct or standard.
(a)	must in the first instance give a written warning to the person; and
(b)	may direct the person to cease or otherwise to correct the person’s practices.
(3) If a person fails to cease or otherwise correct the person’s practices within such period as may be specified in a direction given under subsection (2)(b), the person is guilty of an offence punishable on conviction by a fine not exceeding VT 100,000 for each day on which the contravention continues.
URL: http://www.paclii.org/vu/legis/consol_act/eta256