Agents Inc. announces innovative privacy program to support consumer rights on-line; engages Coopers & Lybrand and joins forces with Electronic Frontier Foundation, VeriSign, Inc. and Consumer Advocacy Groups.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 1996--Agents Inc., creator of Firefly OnlineTM (www.firefly.com), announced today an innovative program designed to support its members' rights to privacy on-line and to highlight the ongoing need for consumer and industry awareness of privacy issues.

This program consists of several elements, including: a policy outlining measures for supporting the privacy of Firefly members; enlisting Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. to regularly evaluate the company's privacy procedures; a partnership with VeriSign Inc. to provide VeriSign Digital IDs to Firefly members to enhance security; alliances with leading consumer advocacy groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), eTRUST, the Electronic Privacy Information Center; and a relationship with the Direct Marketing Association.

Agents Inc. is the recognized leader in providing intelligent agents for personalizing content and communities in the electronic marketplace. The company is one of the first Internet companies to establish such an aggressive, consumer-focused program to address privacy and integrity of both personal and "preference" data on-line.

Firefly Online, the company's Web site, provides consumers with access to personalized recommendations, relevant content and communities of other users based on shared interests. Firefly's intelligent agent technology enables consumers to better control their on-line experiences and information.

Consumers also have more freedom to directly communicate with and provide feedback to marketers and advertisers, while being assured that their individual and preference information is anonymous unless they indicate otherwise.

Coopers & Lybrand Engaged to Evaluate Privacy of Firefly Data

To further enhance the privacy of Firefly Online member information, the company has engaged Coopers & Lybrand, a professional services firm, to regularly evaluate its privacy procedures.

Firefly provides a number of technical and operational features designed to protect its members' personal data. These include network firewalls, log-in encryption and user anonymity through use of an alias instead of a real name. Coopers & Lybrand is currently reviewing and evaluating these and other procedures to assess the degree to which Firefly member information is protected.

"Agent Inc.'s privacy program is aggressive and one for other Internet companies to follow," said Tom Hyland, co-chairman of Coopers & Lybrand's Media and Entertainment Group. "We are pleased that Agents has engaged our services to evaluate whether Firefly members' data is protected. This is clearly a case of a company backing its on-line policy with not just words, but action."

Agents Inc. and eTRUST Join Forces

Agents has joined forces with the founding members of eTRUST, a non-profit group of Internet and electronic commerce companies, whose goal is to provide privacy and security on-line. Agents is a member of eTRUST's steering committee which will oversee the development of a set of privacy trust marks or logos and other eTRUST endeavors.

Additionally, eTRUST will use Agents as an example of a lead company implementing an aggressive consumer privacy program. Agents has also agreed to allow eTRUST to use its experience with Coopers & Lybrand as a model for other Internet-based companies to follow.

"We applaud Agents' actions to support consumer's rights on-line," said Lori Fena, executive director of EFF and a founding member of eTRUST. "Agents has not only expressed concern over consumer privacy, it has also developed and implemented an effective program to address consumer privacy issues."

Firefly Community Policy Now On-Line; VeriSign Ensures Identity with Digital IDs

Agents Inc. has implemented a simple, but comprehensive policy to ensure that members of the Firefly community can not only express their opinions and preferences freely -- through ratings, chat rooms, bulletin boards, home pages and Firefly mail -- but also to support their personal privacy rights.

The company has published the "Firefly Community Policy" which states in part that the company will:

-- Not require a member's actual name or address to use Firefly;

-- Not retain on-line conversational transcripts conducted between members except for transcripts of chats that have been scheduled and publicized as special events on Firefly;

-- Not read or release Firefly mail exchanged between Firefly members;

-- Not disclose a member's e-mail address unless instructed by the member to do so; and

-- Not edit or in anyway modify recommendations generated by the system and its members.

The complete Community Policy can be found at Firefly Online (www.firefly.com) and can be reviewed by the consumer prior to registering for Firefly.

"We take our members' privacy rights and the protection and integrity of their recommendations very seriously," said Nick Grouf, CEO of Agents, Inc. "It is our firm belief that every Internet company should be aggressive about protecting and respecting the privacy of its members' personal information."

Additionally, Agents Inc. is working with VeriSign Inc., the leading provider of digital authentication products and services, to provide a higher level of security for Firefly members. Digital IDs use cryptography to provide a means of authenticating the identity of each party in an electronic transaction.

VeriSign's Digital IDs are used much the same way as conventional forms of identification, such as a driver's license or passport, to provide evidence of the owner's identity and, in some cases, authority in a given transaction.

"We are pleased to be working with Agents Inc. to provide Digital IDs to Firefly members as a part of Firefly's privacy initiative," said Stratton Sclavos, president & CEO of VeriSign Inc. "We share the view that consumers should control the accuracy of and access to their personal information."

Agents Inc. is a privately held company based in Cambridge, Mass. The company's investment partners include Atlas Venture, Dun & Bradstreet Enterprises, Merrill Lynch, Softbank Corporation and Trident Capital. -0-

Note to Editors: Firefly and Firefly Online are registered trademarks of Agents Inc.

CONTACT: Cunningham Communication Inc.

Andrea Dumont ([e-mail]), 617/494-8202, ext. 254

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Agents Inc.

Ted Kamionek ([e-mail]), 617/234-5438