Berkeley Study: What Californians Know About Privacy Online

Consumers beware: a privacy policy alone is not an indication of baseline privacy protection. According to a recent study, California residents generally overvalue the presence of the privacy policies they see online and assume the mere presence of such policies secures strong privacy rights. University of California, Berkeley researchers questioned a group of 991 Californians with varying levels of online expertise and with range of privacy opinions. The survey uncovers many consumer misconceptions about the rights and protections provided by privacy policies.

Download UC, Berkeley Study Results...

TRUSTe Expands Its Ranks, Naming Chief Operating Officer and Chief Privacy Officer

TRUSTe, the recognized authority on privacy best practices on the Internet, recently announced two additions to its executive bench. Chris Russell has been named as Chief Operating Officer; Maureen Cooney has been named Chief Privacy Officer.

As Chief Operating Officer, Chris will drive TRUSTe's growth initiatives in the areas of product management, marketing, sales, and client services, which will allow the company to better serve new online privacy sectors while providing consumers and sealholders alike with a higher level of service and confidence.

As Chief Privacy Officer and Vice President for Public Policy, Maureen Cooney brings a wealth of knowledge on best practices and global frameworks for privacy and information management from her prior posts in the private sector, at the Federal Trade Commission, and as Acting Chief Privacy Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. She will provide public policy representation for TRUSTe as well as privacy and information management leadership.

Tip: When is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption important?

SSL encryption is a necessary security measure to take while collecting sensitive client data. The following items qualify as sensitive information: credit card number, Social Security Number, personal health information, Tax ID numbers, and bank information (routing number, account number).

Take care to avoid common encryption mishaps such as failure to encrypt login or password retrieval web pages. Using SSL encryption on designated pages is a TRUSTe requirement, but also helps you maintain your clients trust while using your site.