A true all-Internet home buying or selling transaction is impossible without digital signature law, but current legislation doesn't go far enough to protect consumers.

If current digital signature legislation remains intact and passes into law, consumers could lose protections they now enjoy from brick and mortar companies, says consumer advocacy stalwart Consumers Union.

"People who shop on the Internet should get the same consumer protections as people shopping at the mall, the bank, the car lot, or any other business," said Frank Torres, legislative counsel for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine.

Giving computer-generated signatures the legal weight of ink-and-paper signatures could send e-commerce skyrocketing, but consumer problems and complaints could hit the ceiling if disclosures aren't part of the package, Torres said.

Lawmakers are currently working to compromise two related bills, a House version, HR 1714, and a Senate version, S. 761. The House bill, says Torres, most needs provisions for consumer protections, Torres said.

Consumers Union is lobbying for the final version of the bill to contain five key consumer protections.

Published: March 9, 2000

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A journalist for 35-years, Broderick Perkins parlayed an old-school daily newspaper career into a digital news service offering editorial content and consulting services. Perkins' San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group includes the flagship news site, DeadlineNews.Com, offering real estate, personal finance and consumer journalism, and a backshop, the Deadline Newsroom.