TRUSTe launches new email privacy seal program

TRUSTe today announced the first independent certification program that reassures consumers that they won’t be subjected to spam when they submit their email address online. The program allows certified e-mail senders to display a verifiable seal confirming that their e-mail practices conform to strict privacy and fair practices. Spam, commonly acknowledged as consumers’ top online privacy-related concern, adversely affects companies by limiting the effectiveness of legitimate, requested e-mail communication and inhibiting consumers’ willingness to participate in e-commerce.

Through this program, TRUSTe affirms, with a seal stating ?We Don’t Spam,? that the e-mail reputation and practices of the company have been thoroughly reviewed and have met strict standards that eliminate the threat of unwanted email from the seal holder. The seal is to be placed on the website where the seal holder collects e-mail addresses and related personal information. TRUSTe monitors sealholder email performance with a proprietary list seeding system and a consumer complaint mechanism to flag investigation. This program, by raising consumer trust in data collection practices, will help companies increase online customer registration rates. In a pre-release trial, one company found a seven-percent increase in registrations when using the seal.

?A survey last month found that two-thirds of Internet shoppers decided not to register with a website because the privacy policy was too complicated or unclear. This marks a difficult and worsening situation for businesses that rely on trusted digital communication,? said Fran Maier, executive director and president, TRUSTe. ?Companies need a way to declare simply, clearly and believably ?we don’t spam.’ Our seal lets them say that with confidence and consumers now can trust they won’t be receiving unwanted email from these companies.?

The seal program was created with technical and financial support from DoubleClick and Return Path. TRUSTe provides certification, monitoring and oversight for Return Path’s Bonded Sender Program.

?Solid permission-based policies and practices are critical to both email deliverability and email acquisition improvements,? said Matt Blumberg, president and CEO of Return Path. ?To combat spam, companies need to differentiate themselves by having a stellar email reputation. With TRUSTe?s position as the leading consumer privacy advocate, this ?no spam’ accreditation program will help companies boost email acquisition rates by proving they are one of the good guys in email.?

“The TRUSTe Email Privacy Seal plainly demonstrates the integrity of our email policies. We increased registrations by more than 7% with the seal, and helped boost our overall email campaign metrics,” said Ian Harrison, vice president of business development, AskMen.com. ?The Email Privacy Seal helps consumers make a comfortable and informed choice to hear from us on an ongoing basis.?

?While we have always said that the spam problem could only be solved by a combination of legislation, industry self-regulation, technology and consumer education, until now consumer education has not been a focal point in the industry,? said Ken Takahashi, vice president of strategic partnerships for DoubleClick. ?This seal brings consumer education front and center by bringing clarity and trust to the critical opt-in process.?

Participants in this seal program must meet the following requirements:

1. Prior consent standard for commercial email
2. At a minimum, pre-selected option for house files
3. Opt-in for 3rd party mailings
4. No 3rd party sharing without explicit permission
5. Clear and conspicuous notice describing use
6. Easy to use, responsive, persistent unsubscribe
7. Privacy statement fully disclosing email practices
8. Willingness to participate in dispute resolution and ongoing monitoring

TRUSTe, the online privacy leader, 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. For more information on TRUSTe please visit www.truste.org .