Privacy Seal Program Debuting Next Month Will Help Consumers Identify Web Sites With Credible Privacy Practices

ARLINGTON, VA., Feb. 9, 1999 -- BBBOnLine, a subsidiary of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), and more than two dozen global companies today encouraged web sites engaged in e-commerce to post privacy policies that respect individual privacy.

The companies - all sponsors of the BBBOnLine's new Privacy Program - are pioneers and leaders in the development of electronic commerce. They include: America Online, American Express, AMR Corporation (American Airlines and Travelocity), AT&T, Bank of America, Dell, Dun & Bradstreet, Eastman Kodak, Equifax, Experian, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, J.C. Penney, MCI WorldCom, Microsoft, New York Times Electronic Media, Procter & Gamble, Reed Elsevier (LEXIS-NEXIS), Sony Electronics, US WEST, Viacom and Xerox.

BBBOnLine is among the sponsors of a study, to be conducted in March by Georgetown University Professor Mary J. Culnan, to determine how prevalent privacy policies are on the web. The results of the "web sweeps," which will be reported to the Federal Trade Commission, are expected to provide an update on a similar study conducted directly by the FTC last year. The results of the study are expected be included in an FTC report to Congress.

"The first study by the FTC helped focus attention on the importance of respecting consumer privacy in cyberspace," said Russell Bodoff, senior vice president and chief operating officer, BBBOnLine. "BBBOnLine and its sponsors encourage all web sites that collect information to post privacy policies and apply for a BBBOnLine Privacy Seal to let customers know the site does what it says with regard to the collection and use of personal information."

The BBBOnLine Privacy Program, which is now accepting applications from businesses, will begin awarding seals next month. It will be the first program backed by an organization noted for its expertise and experience in conducting successful national self-regulation and dispute resolution programs - the Council of Better Business Bureaus. The new privacy seal program will be the most rigorous on the web.

Over the past eight months, BBBOnLine has worked closely with businesses and privacy experts to design a program that will award a recognizable, affordable and meaningful privacy seal to businesses that agree to abide by privacy policies meeting a core set of principles. The principles, rooted in the guidelines set out by the Online Privacy Alliance, are the work of leading scholars, privacy experts and businesses working together.

Businesses wishing to apply for the program or those seeking more information can contact the BBBOnLine web site at www.bbbonline.org.