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TRUSTe RECORDS 15% PRIVACY SEAL CERTIFICATION REVENUE GROWTH

A Year-to-Date Record 107 Organizations Join TRUSTe Privacy Seal Program in 2006

San Francisco, CA– August 2, 2006 – TRUSTe, the leading privacy certification and seal program, has recorded 14.9 % growth in TRUSTe Privacy Seal certification revenue during the period January 2006 to July 2006 as compared to the same period in 2005. Representing a record number of year-to-date certifications, TRUSTe has certified 107 new Web sites in 2006, including leading brands such as the NFL, Siebel Systems, Gaiam and NASDAQ.

“As consumers become increasingly savvy about protecting their personal information and privacy online, organizations find TRUSTe Privacy Seal certification to be an effective way to demonstrate their commitment to trustworthy practices,” said Fran Maier, executive director and president of TRUSTe. “The 107 companies certified in 2006 join more than 2,000 organizations committed to building consumer trust online through participation in the TRUSTe Privacy Seal program.”

TRUSTe sealholders report strong value from TRUSTe Privacy Seal certification. To earn TRUSTe certification, email service provider BigString Corporation (http://www.bigstring.com/)—which previously had no posted privacy policy—developed a comprehensive privacy statement that clearly communicates the organization’s practices to customers. In two months since earning TRUSTe certification, BigString Corporation has received no customer questions about how personal information is stored and used. Prior to certification, BigString estimated that questions about privacy and personal information comprised 5-10% of all customer support emails.

“As an email service provider that requires personal information to register new users, ensuring that our customers are informed and have choice over how their information is used is vital to our business,” said Adam Kotkin, chief operating officer, BigString Corporation. “Thanks to the TRUSTe privacy certification program, BigString Web sites now effectively communicate our responsible privacy practices to customers.”

Jamie Cheng, co-founder of Helium Report (http://www.heliumreport.com), an independent resource guide which assists affluent families in making high-value purchase decisions, said: “The TRUSTe seal is the gold standard in demonstrating trust to our discerning customers. TRUSTe’s expertise and high level of personal attention made the certification process both simple and effective.”

TRUSTe-Certified Organizations in 2006 include:

AEBN
AgentMachine.com
All Breakers
AmeriSpan Study Abroad
Applied Merchant Systems
Army Navy Deals.com
Baruch Gutwein Diamonds
Bassiri Associates
BDLocal
Bonanza Sports
California Academy of Health
CCG Metamedia
CityCribs Group
Collins McFarland
Concito ISP
Consumer Finance Advisor
Corpedia
Crafta
Credit Solutions
Cybertania
Dial Up
Direct Lending Family
Direct Lending Solutions
DNA Direct
DVDIDEAS.com
Earthsake
eNannysource.com
Essembly LLC
Everpride
Exlcom
Ez Web Shopping
FacultyOutcomes.com
Farecast
Forex Enterprise
ForKidsSafety
Gaiam
Gametox
Genealogy Today
Golden Key International Honour Society
H1 Base Incorporated
History Compass
Home Metrics
InkjetCartridge.com
IP Retail
iPodMods
ISoldMyGun
JellyBarn
Judged
KMB-Systems LLC
List Media
LocateADoc
LR Cards
Mark Joyner Inc.
Media Traffic Agency
Medical Transcription Billing
Medmania
Meridian Global
miaplaza
MiN New York
Mitamins
Modern Bathrooms
MoneyMasters
Mortgage Lenders Plus.com
My Itin
MyFamilySoftware.com
namesarecheap.com
NASDAQ
National Football League
NetBridge Investments
P4 Healthcare
Paladin Registry
Parts Train
Passado
Plan3D
Platinum Server Management
PlatinumGalleria.com
Plug-In Profit Site
Ponemon Institute
Pragmatix
RehabMe.com
Royal Flush Club
Sachin Inc. dba Banvari
School Outfitters
Search Chips
Siebel Systems
Sitepro.com
Smart Marketing
Smokey Software
South Coast Pleasure
Survey Analytics
Sweet in Touch Company
Tell-A-Pal
The Rocket Science Group
TheLadders.com
TICKETFINDER.com
Ticketsplus
TitleInsurance.com
Tricordia
Trufina
Two Oars
Uni Grace
UNYK
Victory Solutions
VIPGeek Corporation
Web Active Corporation
World Web Search
YB Sales & Distributors

The TRUSTe Privacy Seal is one of the most recognized branded symbols of trust online among consumers. The TRUSTe Privacy Seal communicates that a Web site has posted a privacy statement and that its information gathering and dissemination practices follow guidelines for notice, choice, access, security and redress outlined in the Federal Trade Commission’s Fair Information Practices. Specifically, TRUSTe sealholders agree to:

  • Disclose their information gathering and dissemination practices.
  • Give consumers choice to limit any secondary uses of their personal information through opt-in or opt-out.
  • Provide consumers with access to their personal information to correct any inaccuracies.
  • Ensure that reasonable security mechanisms are being used to protect the data that is collected.
  • Comply with ongoing oversight and TRUSTe’s consumer dispute resolution process.

Ongoing monitoring and the Watchdog Consumer Dispute Resolution mechanism are cornerstones of the TRUSTe Privacy Seal and Certification Program. Through Watchfire monitoring, TRUSTe systematically monitors the practices of seal program participants to ensure ongoing compliance with posted privacy statements. In addition, TRUSTe provides consumers and organizations an effective, easy-to-use method to resolve privacy disputes through its online Watchdog Dispute Resolution service.

About TRUSTe
TRUSTe helps consumers and businesses identify trustworthy online organizations through its Web Privacy and Email Privacy Seals and resolves thousands of individual privacy disputes each year. An independent, non-profit organization celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2007, TRUSTe runs the world’s largest privacy seal program, with more than 2,000 Web sites certified, including the major internet portals and leading brands such as IBM, Oracle, Intuit and eBay. Through its Trusted Download Program, TRUSTe develops standards for non-intrusive downloads that demonstrate consumer choice. TRUSTe also provides accreditation, monitoring and oversight for email with the Email Privacy Seal Program, and for Return Path’s SenderScore Certified Program. To learn more, visit www.truste.org.

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Contacts:

Kevin Lewis
Landis Communications Inc.
415-561-0888 x2318
Kevin@landispr.com

Alicia Balkrishna
Landis Communications Inc.
415-561-0888 x2316
Alicia@landispr.com



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