TRUSTe Asks Ben Edelman Questions of Their Own
TRUSTe responded to my questions regarding Ben Edelman’s research and at the request of Carolyn Hodge I have agreed in kind to post questions from TRUSTe for Ben to answer as he see fits. Same rules of engagement apply although Ben has asked comments be left on.
Questions Posed by Carolyn Hodge, Marketing Director of TRUSTe, to Ben Edelman per e-mail request of Wayne Porter.
1. Please explain your relationship with SiteAdvisor, how your expert reviewer status impacts ratings, and any financial benefit associated with being on the SiteAdvisor advisory board.
2. Has TRUSTe ever approached you to learn about your techniques and get your feedback, help with adware and trackware companies? What would be an appropriate way for the anti-spyware community to cooperate with TRUSTe for the benefit of consumers?
3. SiteAdvisor, the basis for your comparison of TRUSTe sites, was recently taken to task for not detecting phishing websites, and stated that phishing detection was out of its scope. Don’t you think that consumers care about phishing, and isnt that a serious fault in the SiteAdvisor methodology?
4. If a website or software publisher makes positive changes to address consumer notice, choice, consent and control, do you view this as a positive step? Can you list the occasions where you praised a company for changing its practices as you described?
5. List the companies which have changed thier practices as a result of your work.
6. Describe your familiarity with the TRUSTe certification process, its rigor, and any specific qualifications that make you an expert on thier processes? Have you ever spoken with a TRUSTe sealholder about the certification process? What did they report to you about that?
Moderator’s Note: In all fairness to Mr. Edelman I am injecting my own question into the conversation.
1. Do you have any other comments, suggestions, input or commentary based on these interviews and questions?
