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Story URL: http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39116618,00.htm

5 years ago... Over a third of UK websites branded illegal
And it's still no easier - just more essential - to be compliant...

By silicon.com

Published: Monday 27 October 2003

27.10.98: More than a third of UK companies are breaking the law with their corporate websites, according to law firm Eversheds.

Company law rules that certain details - such as a postal address - should be present on web pages just as they are required for other company property such as stationery. In an audit of 106 UK websites, the firm found that most companies fail to comply with these regulations.

Other bad practices included the transferral of material from brochures to websites without due payment of copyrights and the issue of terms and conditions after a consumer has already entered their credit card details.

Andy Lucas, a solicitor at Eversheds, agreed that the offences might seem trivial, but he warned that complacency over the legal ramifications of their web strategies could cause long-term problems.

"It's a cut-throat world out there and if someone has got it in for a company, they can easily pick up on this sort of thing," he said.

Lucas claims the problem could escalate in the future: "People will become more sophisticated and once the press get hold of the subject it could get very sticky for offenders."

27.10.03: The fire-fighting which goes on for IT managers and webmasters charged with ensuring their sites are compliant with rules and regulations is complex to say the least - though that's not to say that is an excuse.

Increasingly, sites must comply with issues as diverse as accessibility and security. The tightening of data protection laws, copyright laws, intellectual property rights and the introduction of the regulation of investigatory powers bill have certainly had an impact on the workload of compliant sites' admins but the changes continue.

To stay on top of the situation is akin to the 'painting the Forth Bridge' analogy, but that is what companies must do if they want to trade effectively online. In the same way high street shops must conform to strict rules and regulations - such as fire inspections and disabled access - so websites must comply with their guidelines.

In the main, companies appear to be wising up to their responsibilities, and not before time, because the headache won't get any easier as the internet continues to strive to become a safe and responsible place to do business.