Two Dozen Internet Industry Leaders Spearheading Creation of Online Privacy Trustmark

Arlington, VA. October 27, 1998 - BBBOnLine, a subsidiary of the Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc., announced today that two dozen global companies now are spearheading the creation of a privacy "seal" program to give consumers and businesses the same confidence in cyberspace that they feel at the neighborhood mall.

AMR Corporation (American Airlines and Travelocity), Eastman Kodak Company, Microsoft and U S WEST are the most recent companies to provide leadership and funding for BBBOnLine's development of a privacy trustmark. They join other companies supporting the initiative: America Online, American Express, AT&T, Dell Computer Corporation, Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, Experian, Ford Motor Company, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM, Intel, J.C. Penney Company, MCI Communications, NationsBank, New York Times Electronic Media, Norwest, Procter & Gamble Company, Reed Elsevier (parent company of LEXIS-NEXIS), Sony Electronics and Viacom.

"With the support of these corporate leaders, we are well on our way to developing a privacy seal that consumers can look for and trust online," said Russell Bodoff, Vice President and General Manager of BBBOnLine. "We are confident that together we will create a program that satisfies consumers and sets a standard for ethical e-commerce in the next century."

BBBOnLine's program will be the first privacy "seal" program to fully meet the guidelines for self-regulation, recommended by the Online Privacy Alliance and requested by the administration, to foster consumer confidence in the way business handles personal information online. The seal will guarantee that businesses safeguard the personal information they collect and provide people with notice about how the information is used.

The BBBOnLine seal program for the new medium is backed by an association with more than 85 years of experience in conducting successful national self-regulation and dispute resolution programs - the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

The development of BBBOnLine's privacy seal program is nearly complete and will be fully operational early next year. The program will offer consumers an effective way to resolve disputes and give businesses a way to exercise self-regulation in the new Internet marketplace.

BBBOnLine already operates a successful reliability seal program that premiered in April 1997 and currently has nearly 2,000 companies displaying the seal. Web shoppers can check out companies they do business with in cyberspace by clicking on the BBBOnLine icon to learn about a company's history, obtain contact information and be assured that as a Better Business Bureau member, the company stands behind its products and services.

For more information on BBBOnLine, visit the Web Site www.bbbonline.org.