*EPF414 04/26/01
Text: Federal Trade Commission Announcement of econsumer.gov
(Project to provide consumer protection in global e-commerce) (810)

The United States and twelve other countries announced April 24 a joint online effort to provide consumer protection information, and to better contend with cross-border fraud and deception on the Internet.

"econsumer.gov will provide a new tool to allow countries to work together to make the Internet safer for consumers across the globe," said Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Robert Pitofsky. The FTC is currently serving as president of the International Marketing Supervision Network (IMSN), a membership organization consisting of the trade practices law enforcement authorities of more than two dozen countries, most of which are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The IMSN project will be directed at both consumers and law enforcement authorities working to enforce trade protection laws. One Web site will provide the public with information on consumer protection, the complaint process, and recommended practices for online shopping.

Law enforcement and consumer protection agencies will share information in a password protected site about ongoing investigations into deception, and reports of dubious online practices.

Participants in econsumer.gov have signed a memorandum of understanding which states their commitments to this endeavor. This document is available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2001/04/econsumermou.htm

The Web site http://www.econsumer.gov provides links for English, French, German and Spanish versions.

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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

For Release: April 24, 2001

United States and Twelve Countries Unveil econsumer.gov

Internet-based Project to Gather and Share Cross-Border e-Commerce Complaints Announced at International Marketing Supervision Network ("IMSN") Conference in New York

Responding to the challenges posed by cross-border Internet fraud and working to enhance consumer protection and consumer confidence in e-commerce, the United States and twelve countries today unveiled econsumer.gov, a joint effort to gather and share cross-border e-commerce complaints. econsumer.gov, led by the United States Federal Trade Commission as president of the IMSN, will greatly improve international law enforcement agencies' ability to address cross-border Internet fraud and deception. This effort will be launched at the semi-annual IMSN conference in New York City, presided over by FTC Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson.

"The global nature of ecommerce presents opportunities and challenges. The Internet offers consumers access to goods, services and information from around the world," said Chairman Robert Pitofsky. "But the borderless nature of the marketplace can also frustrate governments' ability to protect consumers. econsumer.gov will provide a new tool to allow countries to work together to make the Internet safer for consumers across the globe."

The project has two components: a multilingual public Web site -- http://www.econsumer.gov -- and a government, password-protected Web site. The public site will provide general information about consumer protection in all IMSN countries, contact information for consumer protection authorities in those countries, and an online complaint form. All information will be available in English, Spanish, French and German. Using the existing Consumer Sentinel network, a database of consumer complaint data and other investigatory information and operated by the FTC, the incoming complaints will be shared through the government Web site with participating consumer protection law enforcers that have signed a Confidentiality Agreement. Twelve participating countries and Chairman Robert Pitofsky on behalf the FTC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the project. The FTC will maintain control over the public Web site and all data collected, and will host and maintain the site.

The vote to authorize the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and Associated Confidentiality Agreement to implement the project was 5-0.

Participating Countries:

Australia -- The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Canada -- Competition Bureau, Industry Canada
Denmark -- The Danish Consumer Ombudsman
Finland -- The Finnish Consumer Ombudsman
Hungary -- The Hungarian General Inspectorate for Consumer Protection Mexico -- Procuraduria Federal del Consumidor
New Zealand -- The New Zealand Ministry for Consumer Affairs
Norway -- The Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman
South Korea -- The Korean Consumer Protection Board
Sweden -- The Swedish Consumer Ombudsman
Switzerland -- The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland
United Kingdom -- UK Office of Fair Trading

Copies of the Memorandum of Understanding and the Confidentiality Agreement are available from the FTC's web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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