March 22, 1999 Privacy Watchdog Declines to Pursue Microsoft, a Backer By JERI CLAUSING A nonprofit watchdog group that monitors online privacy policies on Monday scolded but declined to pursue an audit of one of its biggest donors, the Microsoft Corp., an awkward decision that comes at crucial time in the debate over whether companies can effectively police themselves in cyberspace. The group, TRUSTe, a Santa Barbara, Calif-based nonprofit organization that regulates the Internet privacy policies of about 500 companies, said that while Microsoft did compromise consumer privacy and trust with an identifying number in its Windows 98 operating system that was surreptitiously collecting consumer data, it found no privacy violations involving information collected through the company's Web site. "In this case, TRUSTe's certification process covers data that is collected specifically by Microsoft.com, a TRUSTe licensed site," TRUSTe said in declining to seek an independent audit of Microsoft or to revoke its seal of approval. Privacy advocates said the distinction simply proved that such seals are useless in protecting consumers. more at http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/03/cyber/articles/23privacy.html -- Barry Lee Brisco <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Web Design & Development - Online Marketing <http://www.ToTheWeb.com> Web portfolio at <http://www.ToTheWeb.com/portfolio.html> ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The NEW Web Consultants Association FORUMS and CHAT: Register Today at: http://just4u.com/forums/ Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants Give the Gift of Life This Year... Just4U Stop Smoking Support forum - helping smokers for over three years-tell a friend: http://just4u.com/forums/ To get 500 Banner Ads for FREE go to http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=111261 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
