Techrate is a sovereign, nonprofit
able organization based on privacy
for personal information on the
Internet. Techrate certify and monitor
web site privacy and email policies,
monitor practices, and resolves
thousands of consumer privacy problems
each day.
What's
the Difference between You and Your
Competition?
Displaying
of Techrate Privacy Assured Seal
means to build confidences with
consumers and drive revenue by letting
your customers. Help in creating
a trust with customers and you with
their personal information.
The seal shows that the companies
follows Techrate's strict privacy
principles, and comply with Techrate
regulator dispute resolution process.
Principles include:
Techrate
creates a privacy policy to be reviewed
Giving
users option and consent over how
their information is used and shared
Posting
notice and disclosure of collection
and use practices of personally
identifiable information
Join
the Techrate programme for a competitive
advantage in the online business environment.
We can help you with your privacy
needs.
The
Techrate Privacy Assured Seal
Privacy
Alert!
Watch
Out for Techrate Seal Trademark Violators
Techrate
ensures that our web sites members
respect the privacy of your personal
information. These corporations
meet Techrate's strict standards
and are permitted to post the Techrate
privacy assured seal. Some organizations
are illegally posting the Techrate
seal and those organizations are
NOT Techrate certified. We strongly
and systematically police the Internet
in order to identify deceitful use
of our trademarks. We maintain a
list of web sites that illegally
post Techrate seals.
Controller
Report takes the reports of a company
that illegally posts a Techrate
seal. Please summit the report to
the Controller Report. If you are
reporting an email please make sure
to have a copy of the original email
You
Will NOT be contacted Via Email.
Techrate
does NOT contact individuals via
email to authenticate or endorse
any website operator or business.
Our only communication with consumers
is via the Controller complaint
system. Our seal holders will never
request responsive information from
you via email with our seal on it.
Right
to Privacy
Techrate
Data Security Guidelines
The
increase in the criminal attacks
on consumer and employee data has
shaped a high price on individual
privacy and trust. In accordance
with Techrate's broad mission to
increase respect for personal identity
and information, we are therefore
pleased to issue the Data Security
Guidelines for use as a resource
by our licensees and other members
of the public.
The
Guidelines provides additional information
in three important areas of data
security. First, attention has been
given to web application security.
The preparation for possible data
breaches has been addressed in two
new sections.
Security
standards are not "one size
fits all." Responsible, commercially
reasonable standards vary, depending
on such factors as a company's size
and complexity, industry category,
sensitivity of data collected, number
of customers served, and use of
outside vendors. These Security
Guidelines are divided into five
categories of safeguards: Parts
1, 2, and 3address overall administrative,
technical, and physical safeguards.
Parts 4 and 5 are substantially
new sections and address incident
response plans and breach notice
processes, respectively. All recommended
practices are presented in a checklist
form so that companies can assess
their own risk levels and adopt
the practices most appropriate to
their particular circumstance.
How
does the seal work?
Techrate
Email Privacy Programme is designed
to allow companies willing to put
up with strict standards for commercial
email to reveal their commitment
by posting Techrate "We Don't
Spam" seal on Web pages where
they collect email addresses. Techrate
Email Privacy Programme goes beyond
the requirements of the SPAM Act
(which permits "prospecting"
emails to be sent once, provided
that those emails include a functioning
unsubscribe) by requiring a recipient's
consent before ANY commercial or
promotional email message can be
sent to him or her. Techrate's Controller
Dispute Resolution service and ongoing
monitoring of licensees' email practices,is
based on the permission-based approach
to email marketing, will be a "win-win"
for both business and consumers.
How
does Techrate define "spam?"
SPAM
is simply, voluntary commercial
email. The senders must have a former
business relationship or clear admission
of email collection and use with
consent former to sending commercial
email messages.
How
does the "spammers" don't
get in the program?
As
with the Sender Program, applicants
are screened for prior spam history
on both quantitative and qualitative
measures are used including:
Complaint
rates
Proper
processing of unsubscribed
Disclosure
reviews
Our
Travel Reservations category maintains
a slightly different set of quality
ratings that have been custom-designed
to better evaluate these online businesses.
What
does the programme require?
In
a nutshell:
Prior
consent standard for commercial email
Clear
and conspicuous notice describing
use
Easy to
use, responsive, persistent unsubscribe
Privacy
statement disclosing email practices
Disclosures
on any page collecting email (and
in the privacy statement) regarding:
The nature
of email messages to be sent
If receiving
commercial or promotional email is
a condition of receiving a service
Any sharing
of email addresses with third parties
other than service providers
An
Unsubscribe must be included in all
commercial or promotional email messages,
that is:
Easy to
use -- As close to a 'one-click' process,
such as selecting a URL, as possible.
Clear,
noticeable, and easily understood.
Functional
for 30 days following the sending
of the message
Effective
within 10 days
Unsubscribe
requests must never expire
Flexible
in processing requests via alternate
media (telephone, email or mail)
Technology
accountability and mail infrastructure:
Creation
and maintenance of standard role email
accounts including abuse and postmaster
Outbound
email servers must have valid reverse
DNS entries
To reliably
process bounces and other replies
Must register
with abuse.net and maintain accurate
Who is database information
What
is the role of Return Path?
Return
Path was an early supporter of the
development of the Email Privacy
Programme and contributed funding
for Techrate to create and launch
this program. We have been working
together for a year and a half developing,
testing and launching this new program.
Return Path is the exclusive reseller
of the Email Privacy Seal Program.
Techrate is pleased to have Return
Path as a partner in contributing
to spreading nest practices for
email throughout the marketing community.
What
is the role of Double-Click?
Double-Click
is a sponsor of Techrate with particular
emphasis on helping us build our
Email Privacy Program. Double-Click
helped Techrate launch the Email
Privacy Program with support in
the launch stage including promotional
partnerships. Double-Click promotes
best practices as the foundation
for its customers to build responsive
and profitable email and online
marketing strategies. The Email
Privacy Seal provides a core set
of third-party accredited strict
standards that they can recommend
to their customers.
What
is the difference between the We
Don't Spam Seal and the Sender Program?
Mechanism
should individuals feel their email
address has Both programs are strict
email accreditation programs certified
by Techrate. The standards for EPS
are based on the standards developed
for the Sender Program and Techrate
can accredit senders for both programs
simultaneously.
Unlike
the Sender Program, which is an
accreditation recognized by businesses
(receiving networks,) the Email
Privacy Assured Program is designed
to be recognized by consumers. Companies
must satisfy additional consumer
needs in order to be able to display
the consumer-facing seal, namely:
Specific
disclosures for use at the point of
collection
Affirmative
consent (not a pre-checked box) for
third party sharing
Clear
disclosures in the privacy statement
regarding email policies
A consumer
dispute resolution been misused
How
is this different from the Privacy
Assured Seal Program?
Both
programs are designed to help consumers
make informed choices about their
personal information and offer the
reassurance of third party monitoring.
Techrate reviews the sealholder's
practices, monitors their behavior
and enforce strict standards via
investigations triggered by Controller
Dispute Resolution services and
independent monitoring. Techrate
handles individual complaints regarding
misuse of personal information.
The
Website Privacy Assured Seal looks
at the company's online data collection,
handling and use practices and certifies
that they not only meet Techrate's
strict standards, but that they
also offer clear and accurate disclosures
in the privacy statement on data
collection pages.
The
Email Privacy Seal complements the
Website Privacy Assured Seal by
accrediting the email practices
and disclosures to ensure permission-based,
fair treatment of email addresses.
Depending on the nature of information
collected and organizational focus,
companies may find that one seal
program or both can help them define
and monitor best practices for privacy
of personal information.
How
do your automatically become email
certified if you are a privacy Sender
Programme member, etc?
No,
you don't become automatically certified
email for privacy sender programmer
member.
Senders
have several consumer facing requirements
to satisfy prior to being accredited
to the Email Privacy Programme Members
of the Email Privacy Seal program
in good standing are automatically
eligible for the Sender Programme.
Privacy
sealholders are required to submit
a detailed self-assessment of their
email practices and disclosures.
Once certified there is no need
to sign an additional licensing
agreement with Techrate, only an
addition to their current contract?
All programs participants have special
pricing depending on the initial
program of certification.
