Making websites legal
Basic information
European E-commerce Regulations require your clients to provide certain information on your website and to make it easily accessible.
There will be new rules about the way you handle cookies soon, too. Watch this space!
The site should state:
You have to stick to these rules, even if your site does not engage in e-commerce.
Disability Discrimination Act
The Disability Discrimination Act says that businesses – including the media – must avoid treating disabled persons unfavourably. This covers newspaper, radio, TV and magazine websites, too.
Web editors need to make sure their websites comply.
1. The RNIB said in 2005: ‘A disabled person can make a claim against you if your website makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access information and services. If you have not made reasonable adjustments and cannot show that this failure is justified, then you may be liable under the Act, and may have to pay compensation and be ordered by a court to change your site.’
2. The DDA does not stipulate website design standards – it leaves you to make sure your site conforms.
3. Service providers have a duty to make adjustments before there’s a problem, not wait until someone complains.
4. This means you should make sure:
5. In practice this means:
6. There are excellent practical tips at: www.userite.com/checklist.htm
7. If you’re a business, contact forms must be answered within 24 hours.
8. There are other rules if your site has message boards. We will look at these another time.
Cleland Thom delivers media law training and consultancy to a number of corporation and public authorities, including GPSJ, United Utilities, World Trade Group, Herts County Council, London Borough of Brent and Three Rivers District Council.
See: workshops.ctjt.biz/workshop/media_law_consultancy.html
Recent Comments