Federal guidelines for what type of information companies can provide on their official Web sites have not been updated since 2000. On Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously to modernize its rules to fit in with an increasingly digital economy.

Under the revamped rules, which have not yet been released in their entirety, information posted on a company Web site does not necessarily have to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley rules relating to a companys disclosure controls and procedures.

The rules also provide clarity on how companies can: provide access to historical or archived data without it being considered reissued or republished every time it is accessed; link to third-party information or Web sites without having to adopt that content for liability purposes; and use summary information in the context of the securities laws antifraud provisions.

Meanwhile, Web sites no longer have to include a printer friendly version of all their documents so sites can include more interactive and dynamic features, the SEC said.

Original post by deucetwo