FEDMA Releases Code on Electronic Commerce
The Federation of European Direct Marketing (FEDMA) has released a “Code of Conduct for Electronic Commerce” aimed at shoring up trust between consumers and marketers within its sphere of influence.
The code is part of FEDMA’s Ring of Confidence initiative, under which Web sites in compliance with the Code are allowed to display the organizations Guarantee Seal.
Provisions of the code include:
* Operational transparency, under which marketers provide their correct legal names and contact information, including a permanent postal address, a central company e-mail address, and e-mail contact for claims for after-sale service, suppression of data in marketing lists, and customer inquiries
* Clearly stated offers and contractual information, including a savable and/or printable essential points of the transaction
* Readily identifiable communications as commercial communications, with qualifying conditions for offers and game being clearly written
* Transactional security, including providing secure and uncomplicated payment methods
* Data protection and consumer privacy, including use of tracking technology and the ability to amend consumer information
* Protection of children
* Mechanisms for consumer redress and
* Mechanisms for monitoring and enforcement of the code, by FEDMA and the applicable national direct marketing associations.
FEDMA’s membership includes 12 national direct marketing associations within the European Union, as well as those of Switzerland, Hungary, Poland and the Czech and Slovak Republics.
