The law on Electronic Commerce, Digital Documents and Signatures has adapted the Dominican legal system to new technologies and has allowed the economy and its agents to benefit from the opportunities that new digital technologies offer for the promotion of economic activities and the execution of commercial transac- tions in the global market. Specifically, the law seeks to: • Facilitate electronic commerce within and among the nations; • Validate transactions that have been made by means of new information technologies; • Promote and support the development of technological initiatives related to electronic commerce and to promote the use of these services and diffuse its use among the population.
The law is based on model laws prepared by the Commission of the United Nations for International Mercan- tile Rights (CNUDMI) regulating concepts of origin, conservation, data messages, and digital documents to grant legal validity to the same. The rules also specify the conditions for the use of a digital signature, differ- entiating it from an electronic signature; establish the requisites for the establishment of certification enti- ties; and regulate the certificates of digital signatures and non-credited entities. The law provides the requirements for digital certificates issued by certification entities.