After briefly looking at the IT Security Act in Germany (I.) and the Directive of Security and Network and Information Systems in the European Union (II.), the article explains key provisions of the Chinese Cybersecurity Act as well as its systematic approach and its effects on businesses (III.).

After a brief introduction (I.), the article analyses the European Commission’s proposal for an ePrivacy Regulation by looking in depth at the suggested regime for confidentiality of electronic communication (II.) as well as for cookies (III.). The article also examines the proposed wiretapping provisions (IV.) and draws conclusions for the legislative process (V.).

The article comprises seven sections: The first section which includes this introduction discusses the development of the AU’s e-commerce regime (I.). The second section undertakes a comparative analysis of the AU’s e-commerce regime (II.). Within that context, the discussion deals with issues including the obligations of an e-commerce provider, and legal provisions on electronic contracts. The third section discusses the legal status of electronic documents and contracts, and electronic signatures (III.). The fourth section deals with electronic advertising and unsolicited electronic communications (IV.). The fifth section highlights issues that were not addressed by the AU’s e-commerce regime (V.). The sixth examines the prospects and challenges relating to the implementation of the AU’s e-commerce regime (VI.), and is then followed by the concluding section (VII.).