martinibuster - 8:28 am on Oct 4, 2006 (gmt 0)

Ben Edelman's PDF research paper on trustE [benedelman.org] has a lot to say that wasn't reported in the Wired blog report. Interesting reading.

TRUSTe’s TRUSTe’s Fact Sheet (2006) reports only two certifications revoked in TRUSTe’s ten-year history... According to TRUSTe’s posted data, users continue to submit hundreds of complaints each month. But of the 3,416 complaints received since January 2003, TRUSTe concluded that not a single one required any change to any member’s operations, privacy statement, or privacy practices, nor did any complaint require any revocation or on-site audit.

And elsewhere:

TRUSTe has only a small staff, with little obvious ability to detect violations of its rules. Rule violations at TRUSTe member sites have repeatedly been uncovered by independent third parties, not by TRUSTe itself.