Alexa Internet and TRUSTe Raise Consumer Confidence With Privacy "Seal-of-Approval;" Free Web Navigation Service Displays Trustmarks to Help Consumers Evaluate Site Credibility.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 1997--Consumers using Alexa, the free Web navigation service, can know now whether to trust the site they are visiting before engaging with it. Alexa Internet and online privacy initiative TRUSTe announced today that the TRUSTe logo will be displayed in the "Where You Are" window of the Alexa toolbar, enabling Web surfers to easily know that a site can be trusted.

In its cooperation with TRUSTe, Alexa asserts a leadership role in the electronic commerce industry by addressing the biggest hurdle to electronic transactions -- consumer privacy fears. Just as the Better Business Bureau provides consumers with reassurance regarding a business' credibility, the TRUSTe logo provides Web consumers with a similar "seal-of-approval" and grants Web surfers instant notification of a site's privacy practices.

"TRUSTe is valuable precisely because it fosters disclosure of privacy practices and lets a consumer choose for himself or herself. It does not mandate what merchants or sites do with the data they collect, but it ensures that they state clearly what they will do and that they keep that promise," says Esther Dyson, chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a co-sponsor of TRUSTe.

As the Web increases in size and usage, people need tools that help them understand where they are on the Web and with whom they are doing business. Alexa's service reveals background information on Web sites -- who owns the site, where the company is physically located, how many pages it contains and how "fresh" the site is, as well as suggesting similar sites based on the anonymous usage paths of Web users before them. TRUSTe, the non-profit industry initiative formed to address consumer privacy demands on the Internet, utilizes logos, or "Trustmarks," to alert users as to how a site uses their personal information. Together, Alexa and TRUSTe are building a framework within the Web to inspire user trust and provide consumer education.

"The breadth of service Alexa provides its users is clearly bolstered by incorporating TRUSTe into our product," said Brewster Kahle, president and co-founder of Alexa Internet. "With TRUSTe, our users now receive additional information regarding the way a site handles personal data. For example, an individual interested in purchasing clothes on the Internet could quickly view which sites adhere to TRUSTe's privacy standards before they spend the time to go into the site and judge whether they should do business with this site."

"The new developments with Alexa enhance our efforts to address a significant consumer concern of what happens to personally identifiable information," said Susan Scott, executive director of TRUSTe. "The ability to view Trustmarks from within Alexa's widely-used navigation service allows users to get a bird's eye view of which sites adhere to privacy standards. This empowers both online retailers and buyers, supporting the growth of electronic commerce."

Alexa as TRUSTe Licensee 

In addition to displaying integrating the TRUSTe logo to give privacy information about Web sites, Alexa today announced that it has become a TRUSTe licensee. To be an effective Web navigation service, Alexa gathers and analyzes anonymous usage paths, while ensuring that information will not and cannot be linked to individual users. Alexa chose to become a licensee for the purpose of informing its users that the company is aware of and respects their privacy needs.

Trustmarks are available to companies by downloading an online licensing agreement and invoice from the TRUSTe Web site at http://www.truste.org . After the agreement and payment have been received the licensee will have access to TRUSTe's technology that verifies the places on the site that collect information and assists with trustmark determination and placement.

About Alexa Internet

Alexa Internet analyzes multi-terabyte collections of data to create navigation services. Founded in April 1996 by Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat, Alexa Internet harnesses the collective wisdom and experiences of the entire Internet community and transforms them into the Alexa service. The company donates a copy of the Web on an ongoing basis to the non-profit Internet Archive, which is endowed to preserve digital heritage for scholarly access.

Alexa Internet announced the availability of the beta version of its free Web navigation service in July. The free Alexa toolbar can be downloaded from http://www.alexa.com, and is compatible with browsers that run on a Windows95 or Windows NT operating system. Alexa Internet is working toward supporting the Windows 3.1, Macintosh and Unix platforms in future releases of the service.

Alexa Internet is committed to offering value-added services to Alexa users, and is continually building relationships with leading companies.

About TRUSTe

TRUSTe is a global, non-profit initiative to establish trust and confidence in electronic communication by creating an infrastructure to address online privacy issues. Comprised of premiere members from the electronic commerce industry, the program assures consumer privacy through a progressive policy of informed consent utilizing a branded system of "Trustmarks" which represent a company's online information privacy policy. More information about the program can be found at its Web site address: http://www.truste.org .

CONTACT: Alexa Internet

Cynthia Lohr, 415/561-6786

[e-mail]

or

Antenna Group (for Alexa)

Jennifer Weissman, 415/977-1911

[e-mail]

or

Fleishman-Hillard (for TRUSTe)

Dave Steer, 415/356-1024

[e-mail]