Truste

If you want to be sure that your information is private, you must look for several things:

• Look at the website address and see if it starts with https:.  If it does, you have a secure link. If not, your information can be captured.
• Read the privacy statement on the web site and understand it.
• See if the site has the TrustE logo.
• If the site has the TrustE logo, click on it to see if TrustE has actually certified the site.

All of these steps are a good idea if you are giving any information over the web. TrustE is still relatively new and it does cost money to join, so most websites do not yet display the logo. Personally, I don't demand the TrustE logo if all the site wants is my email address for a newsletter.

You must click the TrustE link to be absolutely sure that the site is trustworthy.  Then examine the URL and make sure it starts with http://www.truste.org/. Why? One, it's easy to include a graphic on a site, and two, several times I've clicked on the logo only to find that TrustE told me the site was not registered. (In this instance, be sure and send an email to TrustE so they can handle the abuser - the system only works if it can be trusted).

I would always make sure a site had the TrustE logo if I was giving credit card information or very sensitive data such as medical or financial records. My feeling is that if a site is asking for those things, it better be able to afford a TrustE license.