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Monthly Archives: October 2002

E-Commerce and E-Mail

Just how well do Fortune 500 companies measure up in regard to online customer support? According to the 2002 Online Customer Respect Study of Fortune 100 Companies, undertaken by CustomerRespect.com, 37% of customers never received any response, and 41% received a response after more than three days. It would appear that big companies still do not understand the value and importance of e-mail in customer transactions.
The Table of Contents for the 430 page report, and details about the metrics used, in addition to purchase information, is available here.

Deployment of Privacy Standards Delayed

Web site privacy issues have received their share of press recently, accompanied by proposals to facilitate a greater sense of security for users concerning the collection and distribution of their personal data. However, there has been little in the way of associated follow-through in this area, on either the part of large, mainstream e-commerce sites… Continue Reading

Advocacy Group for Free Speech

The Free Expression Project, founded in 2000, is sustained by grants from a diverse group of backers that include the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation. The organization advocates in court, through the publication of reports and surveys, and by the sponsorship of conferences, for an end to restrictions of… Continue Reading

Reuters Accused of Cybercrime

Enterprise solution company Intentia filed criminal charges with the Swedish Criminal Investigation Department against Reuters on Monday, October 28 after posting this announcement on their site on October 26. According to this Wired article, Intentia claims that an unauthorized entry into their server occurred during which time a Reuters news reporter obtained access to the… Continue Reading

Animal Law & History Web Center

Professor David Favre of Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law College of Law, has launched a new, informative web site on animal law, Animal Law & History Web Center, that is still under development, with plans to extend content to include U.S. and global resources. Currently the site is providing access to 100 state, federal… Continue Reading

E-Government Catches On

E-government initiatives that serve citizens and businesses alike are gaining in popularity as localities realize more efficiency and cost savings via online solutions. BusinessWeek described a number of such efforts in this article. There is also mention of BusinessLaw.gov, an excellent example of an e-gov site that provides a wealth of easy to use content… Continue Reading

Net Taxes on E-Commerce Resurface

The Streamlined Sales Tax Project is alive and well according to this article in the Denver Post. With states running huge deficits, as many as 29 of them are considering supporting the initiative when it comes to a vote on November 13. Check-out the chart at the end of the article that shows the state-by-state… Continue Reading

Helms Stalls Webcasting Bill

Senator Jesse Helms stopped the vote on the compromise webcasting agreement which had passed the House and seemed very likely to pass the Senate. Opposing reasons for his action are mentioned in this Raleigh-based News & Observer article. Either he was trying to protect the webcasters by negotiating even lower rates for them, or he… Continue Reading

Employee Privacy and Computer Use

The GAO today released their report, Employee Privacy: Computer-Use Monitoring Practices and Policies of Selected Companies. Balancing the employee’s right to privacy and the employer’s right to protect their organization against inappropriate use of PCs were key factors in this investigation. Information for the report was gathered through interviews and surveys completed by 14 of… Continue Reading

Corporate E-Mail Could Land in Court

E-mail is a ubiquitous and essential business tool. Consultant Robert Eisenberg reviews the reasons why all companies should implement an e-mail management system not only for the sake of efficiency, but also for its defensive and preventative applications. See also this ABCNews.com article, The Trouble With E-Mail, which reviews recent cases in which e-mail played… Continue Reading