MPs set to give Ecommerce Bill a rough ride

NEWS A committee of UK MPs will publish a report today which is expected to be highly critical of the government's troubled ecommerce strategy. The Trade & Industry Select Committee - chaired by Labour MP, Martin O'Neill - has spent the last few months poring over the fine details of the government's Ecommerce Bill, which includes policies on encryption, digital signatures and trusted third parties. Industry experts and lobby groups eagerly await the Committee's conclusions. Cambridge University Computer Security Group Leader, Ross Anderson, said: "The best thing the Committee could recommend is that the Bill be withdrawn altogether because it's in such a mess." But Bull Information Systems spokesman, Chris D'Arcy, disagreed. "If it's withdrawn completely, we risk taking our eye off the ecommerce market ball," he said. Most experts agree that the report will and should contain strong criticism of the government's performance in devising the country's ecommerce policy. The main charge is that progress has been sacrificed while the it deliberates over pointless arguments surrounding key escrow. D'Arcy continued: "There are so many things they could be usefully concentrating on, like enthusing industry to move into ecommerce and implementing training that will make it possible. Instead, all they've done is wasted time pandering to the Home Office." Roger Till, who heads the national ecommerce association, e centre UK, also hopes the Committee will recommend more action. "There has been too much consultation for too long - they should tell the government to get on with it." The report will be made public at 11.30am.