§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of forthcoming EU directives on electronic commerce; and if he will make a statement. [97960]
§ Ms HewittThe draft Directive on Electronic Commerce aims to provide a stable and transparent framework within which businesses and consumers will have increased legal certainty as regards their rights and responsibilities. Other legislative initiatives which are intended to remove barriers to e-commerce in the EU include the draft Copyright Directive, the Distance Selling Directive, the draft Distance Selling of Financial Services Directive and the E-Signatures Directive. The Government will continue to ensure that a coherent overall approach to the regulation of e-commerce in the EU is maintained, and is characterised by flexibility and an appropriate balance between the interests of all those affected.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reports he has received that the RSA-155 e-commerce code has been broken by the Dutch National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science; and if he will make a statement. [97942]
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§ Ms HewittI have not received any specific reports on this matter. The Department is, however, aware of the work of Dutch National Research Institute, and that of other academics, in the factorising of a single 512 bit RSA key over a seven month period. This, of course, does not mean that the RSA algorithm itself is insecure.