E-Sign on the Dotted Line from M E D I A G R O K
THE INDUSTRY STANDARD'S
M E D I A G R O K
A Review of Press Coverage of the Internet Economy
| http://www.thestandard.com |
Thursday, June 15, 2000
TOP GROKS
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E-Sign on the Dotted Line
It's something most Republicans, Democrats, financial wonks, geeks and consumer advocates can agree on. World peace? Free beer? No, digital signatures. The House, by a vote of 426-4, approved a bill that gives electronic signatures the same weight as signed pieces of paper. People applying for mortgages, getting insurance or negotiating contracts online will no longer have to hit "print" and lick a stamp to complete a legal transaction.
Earlier drafts of the bill, which now faces only the easy hurdles of approval by the Senate and the president, weren't so universally loved. Consumer advocates lobbied for inclusion of an opt-in clause and the continued paper delivery of life-altering messages such as evictions, utility cancellation notices, product recalls, home foreclosures and certain court orders. Paper may seem retro, but if you can't afford to pay the rent, mortgage or water bill, your ISP probably booted you long ago. These are "strong requirements," said the Wall Street Journal. "The fact that the provisions require affirmative 'opt in' consent from customers, rather than a more passive 'opt out' approach, worries securities industry lobbyists, who fear it could become a template for Internet-privacy legislation down the road," wrote the WSJ. Anything but privacy - we've got businesses to run.
The tech industry also won a key battle: the bill is technology-neutral. "Indeed, it revents states from adopting any legislation that is 'technology specific,'" noted the Financial Times. Until such technology is widely available, said Reuters, "the average consumer won't likely be able to immediately go on the Internet and complete entire transactions." You don't have to be Nostradamus to guess that companies with digital signature technology are due for a big stock spike, and that other tech companies are gathering digital signature working groups as we speak.
It's widely predicted that the bill will pave the way for bigger, better online transactions, making "e-commerce" more than just a synonym for "online shopping." Federal rhetoric about "the future" and "the digital revolution" followed. An exec at an online brokerage firm told the New York Times that consumers won't "have to be bombarded with paper and will be saved all of their desk space." Sorry, but the "paperless office" predictions didn't come true with the proliferation of e-mail, either.
It's early yet, but expect some hand-wringing over this bill. The Chicago Tribune passed on some reassurance for the Luddites, courtesy of Rep. Bill Tauzin, R-La. Americans were scared of the telegraph, too, said Tauzin, but they got comfortable with it and embraced it eventually. Let's hope digital signatures have more staying power.
- Jen Muehlbauer
House Passes E-Signature Legislation
http://cnews.tribune.com/news/tribune/story/0,1235,tribune-business-66225,00.html
Passage of E-Signature Bill a Sign of Changing Times (L.A. Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/nation-world/html98/sign15_20000615html
Electronic-Signature Bill Is Passed by U.S. House
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/biztech/articles/15digital.html
(Registration required.)
House Overwhelmingly Passes E-Signature Measure
http://news.cnet.com/news//0-1007-200-2077981.html
Electronic Signatures Bill Passes the House
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60515-2000Jun14.html
House Passes E-Signature Legislation (AP)
http://www.msnbc.com/news/420730.asp
E-Signatures Given Legal Status
http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3WTI3CH9C
House Overwhelmingly Approves Bill Recognizing Digital Signatures
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB961015149205234359.htm
(Paid subscription required.)
Digitizing the Dotted Line
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/PoliticalNation/E-Sign000614.html
House Passes E-Signature Legislation
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cti101.htm
U.S. House Gives OK to Digital Signatures (Reuters)
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2588200,00.html
House OKs Electronic Signature Bill
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/current/signature.htx
What Is ... a Digital Signature (A Definition)
http://www.whatis.com/digitasi.htm
SSA Press Release - The Work Site
From:
Subject: SSA Press Release: The Work Site
Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 10:11 PM
Below please find a press release announcing the Social Security
Administration's Work Site focusing on people with disabilities. It
provides information valuable to people with disabilities receiving Social
Security benefits as well as employers, advocates, youth, and service
providers. Congratulations to Commissioner Apfel and everyone who worked
on this project. The site is: www.ssa.gov/work .
===============================
Thursday, May 4, 2000 Catherine Noe
For Immediate Release 410-965-8904
News Release
SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security Administration Launches
High Tech Web Site To Promote
Return to Work Activities
Kenneth S. Apfel, Commissioner of Social Security, announced today the launching of a new web site-The Work Site-which contains important information and support for disability beneficiaries, employers, service providers, advocates and others whose goal is to help those persons with disabilities work.
Persons with disabilities face serious challenges when attempting to enter the workforce. Assistance programs are often complex and poorly coordinated, forcing individuals to piece together information and to develop work strategies on their own. They often find that employers are reluctant to hire persons with disabilities, which can discourage them from looking for work. Young people with disabilities, especially those who are leaving school and preparing to work, lack role models and mentors to guide them. The Work Site, developed by the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) Office of Employment Support Programs is designed to be an important information source.
"The Work Site will help to eliminate the barriers that persons with disabilities face when they attempt to enter the workforce," commented President Bill Clinton. "The Social Security Administration is bringing employers, advocates and services together in this new economy to provide meaningful assistance for individuals with disabilities."
The web site is fully accessible to people with disabilities. This is significant since fewer than 5 percent of all Internet sites are accessible to people who are visually impaired or hearing impaired or have limited dexterity. The Work Site is built to serve the information needs of its five principle customers and provides the information in easy to understand terms.
"The Work Site puts important, but often hard-to-find information in one easy-to-access location," noted Commissioner Apfel. "Social Security beneficiaries who want to work and those who want to help them will benefit from this new service."
The five principle customers are:
Social Security Disability Beneficiaries who will find basic information about the agency's return-to-work programs, including an explanation about Social Security work incentives such as the PASS program (Plan to Achieve Self Support) and information on State vocational rehabilitation agencies and programs and the availability of employment services from private organizations. In addition, the site provides links to other Federal web sites that contain useful information that could influence an individual's decision to work. Beneficiaries can link directly to Internet job search sites such as "America's Job Bank" (Department of Labor) and "USA Jobs" (Office of Personnel Management);
Employers who will be able to read about tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities, learn about employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and get useful information about work-site accommodations. Employers will also have access to Project Able, the SSA resume bank for people with disabilities who are looking for jobs;
Advocates who will be able to take advantage of the site's information services that list state partnerships, research activities, obtain current information about SSA contracts and grants, and post information about events that would be of interest to the disability community;
Service Providers who will have access to information about participating in SSA's vocational rehabilitation programs and becoming business partners through the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program; and
Youth with Disabilities who will find information tailored to them and their parents. A "Celebrity Gallery" section will feature profiles of youth and adult Social Security beneficiaries who want to share their accomplishments and messages of success.
"The Social Security Administration is committed to bridging the Digital Divide for our beneficiaries with disabilities," commented William Halter, Deputy Commissioner of Social Security. "We must all pool our information and resources to empower individuals with disabilities who want to contribute their talents to the workforce."
Go to www.ssa.gov/work to take a look at The Work Site.
