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 Frequently
Asked Questions
Here are answers
to the most frequently asked questions we get about TRUSTe and its founders.
What
is TRUSTe? What is its mission?
Who is the Electronic Frontier Foundation?
Why is CommerceNet supporting
the TRUSTe program?
Why is self-regulating privacy so
important?
What is a "trustmark"?
Q:
What is TRUSTe? What is its mission?
A:
TRUSTe is an independent, nonprofit privacy organization whose
mission is to build users' trust and confidence on the Internet
and, in doing so, accelerate growth of the Internet industry.
Through extensive consumer and Web site research and the support
and guidance from many established companies and industry experts,
TRUSTe has earned a reputation as the leader in promoting privacy
policy disclosure, informed user consent, and consumer education.
We were founded by the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the CommerceNet Consortium,
who act as independent, unbiased trust entities. The TRUSTe privacy
program--based on a branded online seal, the TRUSTe "trustmark"--bridges
the gap between users' concerns over privacy and Web sites' desire
for self-regulated information disclosure standards. Q:
What is the Electronic Frontier Foundation?
A:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), one of TRUSTe's founders,
is a nonprofit organization working to promote privacy, free expression,
and social responsibility in new media. EFF believes that the
TRUSTe program educates users about electronic privacy and provides
a positive means for companies to build informed consent and trust
into their online business models. TRUSTe is creating a long-term
infrastructure in which public interest groups like the EFF can
partner with the business community to assure users' privacy rights
online.
Q:
Why did CommerceNet help launch the TRUSTe program?
A:
TRUSTe's objectives are squarely in line with CommerceNet's mission
to accelerate global electronic commerce. Research shows consistently
that building consumer trust in exchanging personal information
and conducting transactions online will significantly increase
the volume of transactions over the Internet. This, in turn, will
greatly expand the market for CommerceNet member products and
services. In addition, CommerceNet's geographical expansion to
worldwide parties is an important ingredient to the global success
of TRUSTe's program.
Q:
Why is self-regulation so important?
A: Government regulation
of the Internet would likely be more rigid, costly to implement, and difficult
to repeal than an industry-regulated, cost-effective program such as TRUSTe's.
In addition, the type of federal regulation we've seen regarding privacy
will likely be the model for other types of Internet regulation. Because
the Internet is still in its early growth stages, we believe it's too
early to impose regulation without understanding the full impact it would
have on growth. Nevertheless, self-regulation isn't possible unless Web
sites take the needed steps to address users' privacy concerns now. The
government has already shown its willingness to step in quickly if Web
sites don't self-regulate privacy on the Internet effectively.
Q:
What is a "trustmark"?
A:
A cornerstone of the TRUSTe privacy program is our branded online
seal, or "trustmark." We award the seal to Web sites that adhere
to established privacy principles and agree to comply with our
oversight and consumer resolution process. A displayed trustmark
signifies to online users that the Web site will openly share,
at a minimum, what personal information is being gathered, how
it will be used, with whom it will be shared, and whether the
user has an option to control its dissemination. Based on such
disclosure, users can make informed decisions about whether or
not to release their personally identifiable information (e.g.
credit card numbers) to the Web site.
The trustmark.
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