Electronic Communication Issues Related to Online Dispute Resolution Systems

The rapid growth of electronic commerce increases the potential for conflicts over contracts which have been entered into online (e.g. about price, late delivery, defects, specifications ...). Thus, the use of online dispute resolution (ODR) mechanisms to resolve such e-commerce conflicts is crucial for building consumer confidence and permitting access to justice in an online business environment. However, the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web in dispute resolution has an impact on the types of communication implied in the relevant processes (negotiation, mediation and arbitration), and involves new security issues such as the integrity and confidentiality of sensible data and communication mechanisms used to transmit and store this data. This paper deals with electronic communication issues with respect to the ODR processes