欧盟与美国的电子签名法述评

Reflections on the EU Directive on Electronic Signatures and the US E-Sign Act

电子商务己被认为是具有美好前景的全球数字经济发展中的关键性因素,现有的法律框架尚不能有效地向人们提供一个可资信赖的、具有安全保障的在线商务环境,电子商务的安全问题一直是各个国家和各国际组织所关注的对象。文章从电子交易安全的中心环节———电子签名出发,对比欧盟和美国所采取的立法措施及其为建立共同的电子认证法律平台作出的努力,提出了我国电子签名立法中值得重视的几个方面,以期对我国立法和实践有所助益。

The security in the electronic transactions over the Internet is regarded as one of the most crucial issues in the digital world. The present legal framework cannot provide a reliable and secure environment for the consumers.This article will critically analyse and compare the EU Directive on electronic signatures (1999) and the US E-Sign Act (2000), and it will also assess the transatlantic co-operation on both governmental and business level in relation to the creation of a legal platform for electronic transactions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the legislative measures taken by the EU and the USA and the principles China should adopt in its legislation on electronic authentication and electronic signature.