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TRUSTe - Make Privacy Your Choice

For Immediate Release

AT&T Wireless Joins TRUSTe as Premier Sponsor

Mobile Services Provider is First Wireless Carrier to Become Premier Sponsor of TRUSTe Underscoring the Importance of Expanding Privacy Protections to the Mobile Internet

San Jose, CA and Redmond, WA – February 21, 2002 – TRUSTe, the non-profit organization widely known for its leading privacy certification and seal program, today announced that AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) has become a Premier Sponsor. AT&T Wireless is the first wireless carrier to become a TRUSTe premier sponsor, supporting the organization's efforts to educate businesses and consumers about protecting consumer privacy on the Internet and now via wireless devices.

AT&T Wireless has just completed the comprehensive certification process and will now display the TRUSTe Privacy Seal on its homepage, www.attwireless.com. Consumers and customers managing their accounts online via the AT&T Wireless Web site can easily understand what personal information is collected and how that information is used, disclosed and protected. TRUSTe awards the seal to Web sites that adhere to TRUSTe's established privacy standards, based on the core principles of the Fair Information Practices, and agree to comply with the group's oversight and dispute resolution process.

"In the burgeoning wireless world, respect for personal information will be a key tenet of building trust between organizations and consumers," said Fran Maier, executive director of TRUSTe. "TRUSTe applauds AT&T Wireless for its leadership in addressing privacy in wireless communications and hopes other mobile service providers follow suit."

"Consumer education about privacy issues is critical to establishing consumer confidence," said J. Walter Hyer, chief privacy officer of AT&T Wireless. "As our customers begin using their wireless phones to communicate in new ways - from text messaging and swapping color photos to shopping and other mobile services not yet imagined – they must also be informed and in control of how their personal information is treated."

"Becoming a TRUSTe licensee and sponsor will help AT&T Wireless demonstrate the rigorous privacy protections we have in place, expand those protections to the world of new wireless services, and educate the public about privacy issues."

With AT&T Wireless' participation and sponsorship, TRUSTe is one step closer to realizing its comprehensive vision of building a wider safety net for consumers. In recent months TRUSTe has:

  • Begun building a broad coalition to expand current privacy protections beyond the Internet into cell phones, personal digital assistants and other devices that collect personal information;
  • Launched Trusted Sender, a groundbreaking email certification and seal program to bring consumer trust to commercial email in partnership with ePrivacy Group; and,
  • Implemented the first comprehensive accreditation program for health Web sites, teaming with URAC, a leader in the accreditation of health and managed care organizations.

For more information about any of these announcements, please visit www.truste.org.

About AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) is the largest independently traded wireless carrier in the United States, following its split from AT&T on July 9, 2001. AT&T Wireless operates one of the largest digital wireless networks in North America. With 18 million subscribers, and full-year 2001 revenues of $13.6 billion, AT&T Wireless is committed to being among the first to deliver the next generation of wireless products and services. Today, AT&T Wireless offers customers high-quality wireless voice and data communications services in the U.S. and internationally. AT&T Wireless Customer Advantage is the company's commitment to ensure that customers have the right equipment, the right calling plan, and the right customer services options -- today and tomorrow. For more information, please visit us at www.attwireless.com.

About TRUSTe
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. For more information on TRUSTe please visit www.truste.org.

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Contacts:

Carolyn Hodge
TRUSTe
(415) 520-3415
mediarelations@truste.org

Dominic Ybarra
FitzGerald Communications for TRUSTe
(202) 973-4781
trust.e@fitzgerald.com



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