E-commerce policy in six months; to tackle data privacy and tax issues

On the issue of a potential regulator for the sector, the Commerce Secretary said it would depend on whether the policy needed legislative requirements and new regulations or existing laws sufficed

The government has announced that a framework for an e-commerce policy will be prepared within the next six months.

The comprehensive policy is expected to focus on all aspects of the e-commerce business and consumers. It will encompass data privacy and taxation, apart from a host of technical aspects such as technology transfer, server localisation and connectivity issues.

Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said on Tuesday that a large number of ministries, key industry players and several regulators, including the Competition Commission of India and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, would be involved in drafting the policy. The think tank