Legal and technical aspects of E-Commerce

Semester:		WS 2002/2003
Type of course:		Lecture
Credits:		1
Lecturer:		Mag. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Michael Sonntag Institute for information processing and microprocessor technology (FIM), Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria
Time:		7-11.10.2002
Location:		Eötvös Loránd University Budapest
Content:		The lecture will focus partly on technical and partly on legal aspects of E-Commerce based on EU (and international) law. The following topics will be covered: Data protection (Privacy): Gathering, processing and transmission of personal data Electronic signatures: Cryptography, legal requirements, implementation Distance contracts, E-Commerce directive: Right to rescind, information requirements, SPAM Domain names: Technical aspects (DNS), Dispute resolution policy of the ICANN Budapest Convention on Cybercrime: General comments, substantive law, selected parts of procedural law
Mode of course:		The course will be held as a lecture in one week, daily in the afternoon (2 units per day, each focusing on one topic).
Examination:		Each student will have to create a webpage on a certain topic, which will serve as a seminar paper (length approx. equivalent to 5 pages in print, excluding images, drawings, etc.). Topics will be assigned in the course. Groups of two students are also possible (double length). See also in organizational issues.
Topics for papers:		Overview on technics for snooping on users (Webbugs, Cookies, ...) Anonymizers (Balint Kozman): What are they, how to use them, advantages and dangers (E-Mail and WWW) Personalization and Privacy: Overview on privacy policies and guidelines for creating understandable policies Electronic signatures in Hungary (Reka Limbek) Comparing manual and electronic signatures Liability of domain name registrars in Hungary Domain name disputes in Hungary: Recent cases, dispute resolution policies Recent discussions/problems about ICANN: Auerbach vs. ICANN Legal situation in Hungary regardig SPAM, and avertisements (conventional and electronic) SPAM (Gabor Gombas): Possibilities for classification/removal Categories for classifying Anti-SPAM software and comparison between available software Critical review: Arguments for and against file-sharing systems as well as responses to them Your own theme (Please contact me)! More will be provided later!
Literature:		Legal texts: Distance contracts directive E-Commerce directive Data protection directive Electronic signature directive ICANN UDRP Others: Lecture notes from a similar course in Linz (Only relevant parts and only available in german). Slides from the presentations are available above (See topics; PPT zipped).
Additional inquiries:		E-Mail: sonntag@fim.uni-linz.ac.at Telephone: +43(70)2468-9330, Fax: +43(70)2468-8599 Mail: Michael Sonntag, FIM, Altenbergerstr. 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria

This lecture is supported by the EU within the scope of the SOKRATES program.

Last change: 14.10.2002 by MVS