It’s a Matter of Trust

Attempts to overcome privacy concerns forced several major Internet players
to increase their efforts to give Netizens more control over their online
privacy.

This week Microsoft Corp. introduced enhance “cookie” management tools as part of its
Internet Explorer 5.5 update. Yahoo! Inc. launched a new privacy center where Web
visitors can get information about its privacy policy and practices.

Additionally, Internet firms recommended that the Internet Engineering Task Force move to
establish a privacy standard based on trust labels.

While several free Internet service providers have ceased operations and
sold their clients to other firms, one no-fee ISP decided that it’s
customers should know it could be trusted with personal information
provided over the Web.

Freeinternet.com, Friday joined the TRUSTe privacy seal program, gaining the
distinction that the company meets TRUSTe’s strict requirements in the
areas of disclosure, choice, access and security.

FreeI.com has begun displaying the TRUSTe Privacy Seal, more commonly knows
in the industry as a “trustmark,” on its main Web site. The TRUSTe seal
offers a direct link to FreeI.com’s privacy statement, which provides users
with details of the company’s privacy and security policies.

By displaying the TRUSTe privacy seal, FreeI.com assures its customers
about how the company’s Web site handles users’ personal information.

Industry analysts anticipate that FreeI.com’s prime pitchman, the “talking
Baby Bob,” will soon be chatting up its privacy concerns in commercials.

Bob McCausland, FreeI.com president and chief executive officer, said it
has never asked users for their names, street addresses, or phone numbers,
and it never will.

“We strongly support complete user anonymity,” McCausland said. “Our users
know that this commitment differentiates us from the majority of other
ISPs, and we are very proud that this serves as the basis for how we
approach privacy issues.”

The TRUSTe privacy seal is an online branded symbol that signifies that a
Web site has posted a privacy statement and that the company’s data
gathering and dissemination practices are in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission’s fair information
practices.

Bob Lewin, TRUSTe executive director, said it’s become increasingly clear
that the TRUSTe seal has emerged as a symbol that consumers look for when
deciding whether to do business with a Web site.


“By becoming a TRUSTe licensee, freeinternet.com is making it easy for its
customers to protect their personal information online,” Lewin said.


FreeiI.com joins TRUSTe’s worldwide licensee base of more than 1,300 Web
sites, with representation from nearly every vertical segment on the Internet.


Seattle-based FreeI.com currently provides free Internet access for more
than 2.2 million registered users in the U.S. and internationally.

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