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grelmar - 3:02 am on Sep 27, 2006 (gmt 0)
Edelman compared nearly 1,000 Truste-certified sites to more than 500,000 sites as reported by a major ISP... Now, I did a brief scan through old WebmasterWorld threads on Truste and other certifications, and the consensus is that for eTailers, such certifications are definitely worthwhile - increasing conversions and adding a visible sign to customers that the site can be trusted. However... If the enforcement is lax, and the news spreads to the wider press, has anyone here considered the possible effects of a publicity backlash?
From Wired Blog - 27B Stroke 6 [blog.wired.com] Ben Edelman, a researcher working on his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard, has posted a study showing that sites certified through Truste are twice as likely as similar, but uncertified sites to deliver spyware, adware and spam.
Edelman found that 5.4% of Trust-E sites were untrustworthy, while only 2.5% of the baseline sites were.