FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES TAKING ACTION TO PROTECT CONSUMER PRIVACY

SBC Communications, Capital Blue Cross and Comcast Cable Communications Among Global Brands Certified to Join TRUSTe Privacy Seal Program

San Francisco, CA – April 8, 2003 – TRUSTe, the leading privacy certification and seal program, today announced that it has experienced a surge in requests for certification from Fortune 500 companies in the past 12 months.  253 organizations completed TRUSTe certification for the first time in 2002, including the following brands: Atlas DMT (an operating unit of aQuantive), Capital Blue Cross, Comcast Cable Communications, Destina.ca (a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Canada), Harris Interactive®, NPD Group, Oracle, Pharmacia, SBC Communications and Varian Medical Systems.  Today's announcement comes on the heels of the release of TRUSTe Year in Review 2002, the organization's first annual report.  To download the report, visit www.truste.org.

"The surge in global companies joining the TRUSTe Privacy Seal Program this past year has touched millions of consumers of these well-recognized brands," said Fran Maier, Executive Director and President of TRUSTe. "By becoming a TRUSTe licensee, a global brand signals to its customers that it is trustworthy and respects the privacy wishes of the people who visit its Web site."

Consumer research continues to show support for third-party oversight of the privacy practices of their favorite brands, according to Maier.  A January 2003 survey conducted by BizRate.com found that 82 percent of online shoppers surveyed reported that they have reviewed a Web site's privacy policy.  However, only 15 percent think the Web site itself is the right organization to ensure it is honoring its privacy policy. 58 percent prefer that a business, trade association or non-profit handle the responsibility.

Companies that complete the TRUSTe certification process and agree to comply with ongoing TRUSTe oversight and consumer dispute resolution procedures are given the right to display the TRUSTe Privacy Seal.  The TRUSTe Privacy Seal is a consumer branded symbol that signifies that a Web site has posted a privacy statement and, moreover, that its Web site information gathering and dissemination practices address the elements of notice, choice, access, security and redress outlined in the Federal Trade Commission's Fair Information Practices.  Specifically, TRUSTe's members agree to:

• Disclose their information gathering and dissemination practices;
• Give consumers choice to limit any secondary uses of their personal information through opt-in or opt-out;
• Provide consumers with access to their personal information to correct any inaccuracies; and
• Ensure that reasonable security mechanisms are being used to protect the data that is collected.

A cornerstone of the TRUSTe Privacy Seal and Certification Program is the ongoing monitoring and Watchdog Consumer Dispute Resolution mechanism.  Through Web site audits and "seeding," TRUSTe regularly monitors its seal program participants to ensure the integrity of the privacy statement.  In addition, TRUSTe provides consumers and organizations an effective method to build trust through the Watchdog Dispute Resolution mechanism, an easy-to-use service for consumers to resolve their privacy disputes.

"Consumer education and communication about privacy issues is the first step in establishing trust in the Internet community," said Greg Butz, vice president, Marketing and Business Development for Comcast High-Speed Internet.  "We're proud to display the TRUSTe seal as it is a reflection of Comcast's longstanding commitment to being a responsible and conscientious company concerning matters of privacy and security."

TRUSTe certified the privacy policies of more than 1,500 companies and organizations in the United States by the end of 2002.  Notable organizations that underwent recertification and renewed their membership include:

• AIG Marketing
• Allstate
• Alta Vista
• AOL Time Warner
• Apple
• AT&T Wireless
• BMWUSA.com
• Comark
• Conseco
• Costco Wholesale
• DoubleClick
• Drugstore.com
• eBay
• EDS
• Epson
• Expedia.com
• Global Sports Interactive
• IBM
• Institute for Cultural Exchange
• Intel
• Intuit
• Lycos
• Macromedia
• Microsoft
• The New York Times
• Novell Corporation
• Oki Data
• PayPal
• Pearson
• Sybase
• Symantec
• Textronix
• Verisign
• Verizon
• WebMD
• Yahoo!

For a complete list of TRUSTe Privacy Seal Program participants, visit www.truste.org.

Companies interested in learning more about the TRUSTe Privacy Seal and Certification program should contact inquiries@truste.org or 415.618.3405.

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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