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Electronic Communications (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Law 202-

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A decision made 5 August 2021:

Decision Reference:  MD-E-2021-0032

Decision Summary Title:

Draft Electronic Communications (Amendment No.2) (Jersey) Law 202-

Date of Decision Summary:

30 July 2021

Decision Summary Author:

Digital Policy Advisor

Decision Summary:

Public or Exempt?

Public

Type of Report:

Oral or Written?

Written

Person Giving

Oral Report:

N/A

Written Report

Title:

Draft Electronic Communications (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Law - LDO.237

Date of Written Report:

30 July 2021

Written Report Author:

Digital Policy Advisor

Written Report :

Public or Exempt?

Exempt

Subject: Draft Electronic Communications (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Law 202-

Decision(s): The Minister approved the lodging of the draft Electronic Communications (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Law 202-

Reason(s) for Decision:

1. Purpose

If approved by the States, these amendments to the Electronic Communications (Jersey) Law 2000 (the “EComms Law”) will modernise the framework under which business is conducted in Jersey digitally. The amendments are required to enable businesses to take advantage of new technologies; to reflect common business practices; and provide greater certainty to the law whilst taking into consideration lessons learnt from COVID-19 and remote working.

 

2. Background

The EComms Law, which inter alia provides validity to the use of electronic signatures, has been in force for over two decades. In that time there have been rapid and significant developments to technology and digital user behaviour. In 2020 Government started to engage with a working group orchestrated by Government of Jersey and Jersey Finance Limited (“JFL”) to consider the EComms Law in light of new technologies, increasingly common business practices and lessons learned from the accelerated move to remote working as a result of COVID-19. The working group also gave consideration to clarifying certain aspects of the EComms Law where industry felt it would benefit from greater certainty.

 

3. Proposed amendments

The conclusions of the working group resulted in the following key findings:

  • There is a need to introduce a long-term solution for remote witnessing of signatures. As a result of COVID-19 measures were introduced, but these measures are temporary and restricted in their application.
  • Due to developments in common business practices and remote working the application of one’s electronic signature is not always provided by the signatory themselves, for example, a junior member of staff reproducing a senior member of staff’s signature for administrative purposes. Certainty under the law is therefore required that signatures provided by another, where they have authority to do so, are valid.
  • There is a need for greater clarity that a signature, seal, attestation or notarisation is not to be denied legal effect, validity or enforceability only because it is in electronic form, whether such a requirement is as a result of statute or otherwise.
  • There needs to be greater clarity that the EComms Law applies both to documents sent to another, and documents which are simply stored after execution.

In considering these proposals the Digital Economy Team identified that new rules on remote witnessing and providing a signature on behalf of another with authority to do so could result in new or increased risks such as: fraud, duress and the potential for vulnerable individuals to be disadvantaged. In developing the proposed amendments officials have given consideration as to how to mitigate these risks. Exemptions to the application of the new rules will therefore be applied by way of Order to mitigate these risks. A public consultation, including direct contact with relevant stakeholders, reaffirmed the conclusions of the working group, as well as the proposed exemptions.

 

4. Articles

The Ministerial Report to the draft legislation, as the explanatory note, set out in detail the purpose of each Article. The draft legislation meets the policy intentions as set out in MD-E-2020-0037.

 

5. Financial and manpower implications

There are no additional financial or manpower implications for the States arising from the adoption of this draft Law.

Resource Implications: There are no resource implications.

Action required: Officers to request the Greffier of the States to arrange for the draft Electronic Communications (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Law 202- to be lodged for debate by the States Assembly at the earliest opportunity.

Signature:

 

 

 

 

 

Senator Lyndon Farnham

Position:

Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

Date Signed:

Date of Decision:

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