overview
issues
regulation
agencies
advocacy
certification
reports
trust
|
certification
This page deals with commercial bodies that certify site
operators adhere to codes of practice and thus offer a
frame of reference for consumers.
Better Business Bureau Online (BBBO),
the website of the US Better Business Bureau (a commercial body),
provides information about the BBB's Reliability and Privacy seals.
In
November 2000 it unveiled the BBB Code of Online Business Practice,
based on principles of "truthful and accurate communications,
disclosure, information practices and security, customer satisfaction,
and protecting children".
Critics were quick to comment that
resounding declarations of principle, are
one thing, day to day implementation by etailers and enforcement by the
BBB is another.
Its major rivals are TRUSTe - a
body supported by IBM, Microsoft and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
(EFF) - and VeriSign.
TRUSTe's faced considerable criticism. Although its motto is "Building
A Web You Can Believe In" consumer trust wasn't encouraged when it
savaged Microsoft with a wet lettuce after privacy breaches and its failure to do much when Disney-backed etailer Toysmart
crashed back to earth and began trying to market its clickstream
database.
BizRate,
WebGuardian
, WebWatchdog and Public
Eye are US commercial bodies running merchant rating services.
Netcheck Commerce Bureau (Netcheck)
provides complaint and dispute resolution
services in the US.
The Better Cyber Bureau (BCB),
again US-based, promotes ethical business standards through the BCB
Seal. The Better Internet Bureau Association (BIBA)
offers quality assurance services.
The recently established US Electronic
Commerce & Consumer Protection Group (E-Commerce
Group) - noted earlier in this guide - includes America Online, AT&T, Dell, IBM, Microsoft,
Network Solutions, and AOL Time Warner.
local industry
representatives
Locally the Institute of Chartered
Accountants licenses members under the global WebTrust
program.
The Internet Industry Association (IIA)
is initiating a privacy practices seals program for
members
next page (reports)
|
