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HK: No Ceiling Set for IT Certification Authorities
No ceiling will be set to limit the number of certification authorities for the Hong Kong's information technology (IT) industry in a bid to encourage the booming of e-commerce, a senior IT official said Monday.
"The government does not intend to impose a ceiling on the number of certification authorities to be set up in Hong Kong, but will leave this entirely to market forces," Director of Information Technology Services Lau Kam-hung told a two-day international conference on application service provider in Hong Kong.
Instead of a mandatory licensing requirement, a voluntary system of recognition has been established whereby certification authorities are free to apply for recognition from the government, Lau stressed.
Under the Electronic Transaction Ordinance, the director of information technology services is empowered under the Ordinance to be the authority for granting recognition to the certification authorities by taking into account the capability of the certification authorities in complying with the relevant provisions of the Ordinance and the Code of Practice.
By leveraging on IT, e-commerce has become a key tool in enhancing the competitiveness of the enterprises and the economy as a whole, Lau said, warning that "the most important challenge we are now facing is how to grasp the opportunities offered by e- commerce."
The government fully recognizes the importance of e-commerce as a major engine to drive our economic growth and is committed to providing an environment for electronic commerce to flourish in Hong Kong, the director said.
"To maintain our pre-eminent position, we encourage competition and innovation under an open, fair and predictable regulatory framework," Lau noted.
The Electronic Transactions Ordinance was enacted in Hong Kong earlier this year to provide the necessary legal framework giving electronic records and digital signatures the same legal status as that of their paper-based counterparts.
The ordinance also provides a framework for the operation of certification authorities which enable the large scale deployment of public key infrastructure technology that in turn facilitates e- commerce development.
To lead by example, the government will introduce the Electronic Service Delivery Scheme by the end of this year, according to Lau. More than 30 types of services will be available on-line, Lau said.
"By implementing these initiatives, the government aims to create a user-friendly and conducive environment for the development of e-commerce to drive our economic growth," Lau said.
"Our ultimate target is to roll out electronic service delivery for all government services which are amenable to the electronic mode of delivery," Lau concluded.
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