TRUSTe is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling individuals and organizations to establish trusting relationships based on respect for personal identity and information in the evolving networked world. Founded in 1997, TRUSTe runs an award-winning global privacy certification and seal program. Its seal programs are considered Safe Harbors for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the EU Safe Harbor Framework. Today, TRUSTe maintains the largest privacy seal program with more than 1,400 Web sites certified throughout the world including AOL, Microsoft, IBM, Nationwide and The New York Times. TRUSTe’s mission extends standards, certification and oversight into email with Bonded Sender and wireless with the Wireless Advisory Committee. [Source: TRUSTe, July 2004]
Things to read:
- About TRUSTe
- TRUSTe Fact Sheet
- 2003 TRUSTe Annual Report
- Your Online Privacy Policy
- Most Trusted Companies for Privacy 2004
Questions to consider:
- What is TRUSTe? What is its mission?
- What is a “trustmark”?
- What are the core tenets of the TRUSTe privacy seal?
- What are the benefits and limitations of the self-governance approach to the challenge of Internet privacy advocated by Truste?