TRUSTe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TRUSTe, founded in 1997, is an independent non-profit organization best known for its Web Privacy Seal. TRUSTe runs the world’s largest privacy seal program, with more than 2,000 Web sites certified, including the major internet portals and leading brands such as IBM, Oracle Corporation, Intuit and eBay. TRUSTe states its purpose is to establish trusting relationships between individuals and online organizations based on respect for personal identity and information in the evolving networked world. TRUSTe is headquartered in San Francisco with an office in Washington D.C.
TRUSTe’s programs include:
Trusted Download Program
Web Privacy Seal
Watchdog Dispute Resolution
Email Privacy Seal
Sender Score Certified Program
Contents |
[edit] History
TRUSTe was founded in 1997 by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Commerce.net to foster online commerce by helping businesses and other online organizations self-regulate privacy concerns.
Fran Maier, executive director and president of TRUSTe, joined the organization in 2001. Maier, one of the co-founders of Match.com, is a recognized expert on privacy issues, having testified about online privacy before the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 2006, TRUSTe launched its Trusted Download Program, designed to separate “good” downloadable software from adware and spyware.
[edit] TRUSTe Programs and Services
[edit] Trusted Download Program
TRUSTe’s newest initiative, the Trusted Download Program, combats adware and spyware. Currently in its beta phase, the Trusted Download Program promotes ethical behavior from adware and other software companies by publishing a whitelist of certified applications. The whitelist will be used by companies – beginning with program sponsors such as Yahoo!, AOL, Computer Associates, CNET Networks and Verizon – as a tool to make business decisions about advertising, partnering or distributing software products.
[edit] Web Privacy Seal
TRUSTe’s most recognizable program, the Web Privacy Seal, aids consumer choice by identifying businesses with trustworthy online privacy policies. 100% of prospective sealholders have had to alter their privacy policies in some way and, in many cases, potential sealholders are not able to complete certification because of TRUSTe’s requirements or legal agreements.
[edit] Watchdog Dispute Resolution
TRUSTe offers third-party dispute resolution services through its Watchdog Dispute Resolution program. Through this program, TRUSTe ensures consumer satisfaction with sealholders’ privacy, non-intrusive email and download practices. If a consumer has an unresolved privacy issue with a TRUSTe sealholder, he or she can fill out an online Watchdog complaint form. TRUSTe will investigate the complaint and mediate a solution.
[edit] Sender Score Certified Program
The Sender Score Certified Program, initially called the Bonded Sender Program, is the leading email accreditation system and whitelist used by more than 35,000 receiving domains and covering more than 250 million email inboxes worldwide. Participating organizations agree to adhere to TRUSTe's strict email standards.
[edit] Email Privacy Seal
The Email Privacy Seal Program enables companies willing to abide by strict standards for commercial email to demonstrate their commitment by posting the TRUSTe “We Don’t Spam” seal. The TRUSTe Email Privacy Program encourages permission-based email marketing, going beyond the requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act by requiring a recipient’s consent before any commercial or promotional email message can be sent to him or her.
[edit] Privacy Policy Guidelines
To encourage the use of privacy policies on every Web site, TRUSTe offers some guidelines to writing privacy statements on its site. TRUSTe’s Privacy Whitepaper and TRUSTe’s Model Privacy Policy Disclosures are two tools to use when drafting or revising an organization’s privacy statement. These documents help organizations clearly communicate its privacy practices to consumers.
[edit] Controversies
Some critics charge that TRUSTe does not go far enough to punish sealholders that break TRUSTe’s rules and that the organization is not quick enough in revoking the seal on companies that violate privacy standards.
TRUSTe counters these charges with the argument that punishing “bad guys” and terminating rule breakers does not further TRUSTe’s mission of increasing trust between businesses and consumers. To accomplish that mission, TRUSTe works with companies to change business practices for the benefit of consumers. There are factors that keep this from occurring immediately:
- TRUSTe has to investigate independently.
- Contractually, TRUSTe can only enforce standards within their program requirements. For this reason, TRUSTe is constantly developing new standards to handle emerging issues.
- TRUSTe can require these companies to be responsive to consumer complaints if they are still under contract.
