Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission welcomed the issuance by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of new, revised guidelines for protecting consumers in e-commerce. The guidelines are designed to strengthen consumers’ trust in the expanding electronic marketplace.

The original 1999 e-commerce guidelines established a set of principles developed in cooperation with all the OECD countries. The revised guidelines announced today are designed to address the newest developments in e-commerce, such as services that are exchanged for consumer data, mobile transactions and payments, and new platforms that enable consumer-to-consumer transactions. They form part of the OECD’s trust agenda, to be addressed at the upcoming June OECD Ministerial on the Digital Economy.

The United States is a founding member of the OECD, an international forum established more than 50 years ago, in which market economies committed to democracy promote policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The FTC serves as the lead U.S. agency for the OECD’s Committee on Consumer Policy, which led the e-commerce guidelines revision process.

More information about the FTC’s international program is available here.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.