LEXINGTON, MA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – August 27, 2002 – TRUSTe, the nonprofit organization widely known for its leading privacy certification and seal program and Watchfire Corporation, a provider of Website Management software and services, today announced a strategic partnership to strengthen TRUSTe's certification and compliance efforts.

Beginning immediately, TRUSTe will deploy Watchfire WebXM to perform website content analysis of its members' sites to identify issues affecting privacy compliance.  WebXM's privacy management module, PrivacyXM, enables organizations to collect, audit and report on privacy-related website management issues such as identifying secure and unsecured forms, P3P cookie issues, website data collection practices and web beacons.  PrivacyXM gives companies the ability to understand their site's data collection, use, and potential sharing practices, helping them to avoid privacy glitches and better manage their ongoing compliance efforts. TRUSTe also announced today that Watchfire has joined TRUSTe's Preferred Partner Program.

"Watchfire will help us strengthen our compliance abilities by automating the auditing and monitoring of our licensees' websites to help them ensure their ongoing certification compliance," said Fran Maier, Executive Director of TRUSTe.  "Consumers want assurance that companies are living up to their privacy commitment, while companies are increasingly challenged to manage privacy compliance on an ongoing basis due to the size and complexity of their websites.  TRUSTe offers both consumers and companies with an effective privacy solution."

A cornerstone of the TRUSTe Privacy Seal and Certification Program is its branded online seal, or "trustmark."  The seal is awarded to companies that adhere to TRUSTe's established privacy principles and that agree to comply with the TRUSTe oversight and Watchdog consumer dispute resolution process.  A prominently displayed TRUSTe Privacy Seal signifies to consumers that the website discloses its personal information collection practices and lives up to the Fair Information Practices principles of notice, choice, security, access and redress.  Armed with full knowledge and control over personal information use, consumers can make informed decisions about whether or not to share their personally identifiable information.

"As websites have evolved and become more complex, so have concerns regarding confidentiality of Internet transactions and personal privacy issues," said Peter McKay, president and COO, Watchfire.  "Watchfire supports TRUSTe's goal to help increase users' trust and confidence on the Internet and we are pleased that TRUSTe has chosen WebXM as a key part of its Privacy Seal and Certification Program."

About Watchfire
Founded in 1996, Watchfire provides organizations with comprehensive website management solutions that enable decision-makers to gain competitive advantage. Watchfire's analysis of business-critical content enables e-businesses to identify key issues that affect user experience, online risk, and e-business operational costs. Watchfire's solutions contribute to the effective management of e-businesses for profitability. More than 50 percent of the Fortune 500 rely on Watchfire to optimize their e-business success. Customers include HP, Lockheed Martin, First Union Bank, Nickelodeon Online and AT&T.  Watchfire's alliance partners include PricewaterhouseCoopers, Inktomi, Interwoven, and Vignette. The company maintains dual North American headquarters in Ottawa, Canada and Lexington, Mass.  Further information on Watchfire can be found online at www.watchfire.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.