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Articles by Bill Day

WHENU’S ADVERTISING SOFTWARE FIRST TO BE WHITELISTED BY TRUSTE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

WhenU Save products awarded certification as safe and consumer-controlled downloadable software; TRUSTe download guidelines to set industry standard

NEW YORK – February 15, 2007 – Behavioral ad targeting company, WhenU.com, today announced that its Save products are the first “Certified Advertising Software” to be whitelisted by TRUSTe’s Trusted Download Program. TRUSTe, the leading online privacy certification organization, partnered with AOL, CA, CNET, Microsoft, Verizon, and Yahoo! to establish strict guidelines for downloadable software and a certification program for software applications which meet these guidelines.

The Trusted Download Program offers a whitelist for businesses to direct advertising dollars and partnership opportunities only to safe software requiring informed user consent and control. WhenU’s Save applications became TRUSTe’s first Certified Advertising Software after demonstrating an ongoing commitment to industry best practices.

“WhenU continues to be one of the strongest industry proponents of consumer control and download transparency,” said Bill Day, CEO of WhenU. “With the increasing popularity of downloadable software and advertising supported software and services, it is essential to establish industry guidelines to protect consumers, publishers and advertisers and enable them to make smart decisions about whom to do business with. It’s a historic moment as there is now a definitive certification process to guide the regulation of downloadable software.”

The lack of a third party certification program in the past has led to considerable variance in business practices and consumer confusion in the downloadable software space. As part of its mission, the Trusted Download Program will identify and elevate trustworthy applications and, in doing so, enable online advertisers to protect valued brands.

About the Trusted Download Certification

The Trusted Download Program combines strict standards, thorough review, ongoing monitoring, and powerful market incentives. During the certification process, TRUSTe reviews notice and consent experience for consumers and tests the operation and behavior of the software with testing partner AppLabs. If an application fully complies with TRUSTe’s guidelines, it is awarded certification and included on TRUSTe’s Whitelist of Certified Software. Following certification, TRUSTe will continue to monitor program-approved software, and has the right to release an application from certification if the participating companies do not maintain its guidelines.

“WhenU’s existing practices in establishing clear consumer choice and control in the advertising space made them an ideal certification candidate,” said Fran Maier, executive director and president of TRUSTe. “As the first Certified Advertising Software, WhenU continues to demonstrate a commitment to protecting consumer privacy and the need to establish strict industry guidelines.”

Prior to TRUSTe’s Trusted Download program, WhenU advertisements were already clearly branded and included a toll-free customer support number, privacy information and the name of the ad-supported software partner.

Only nine other downloadable applications were awarded certification, among them were products from Camshare and Coupons.com. The complete set of program requirements, and additional information on the certification criteria, program elements, FAQs and sponsor roles are available on the Trusted Download website at www.trusteddownload.com

About TRUSTe

TRUSTe helps consumers and businesses identify trustworthy online organizations through its Web Privacy Seal, Email Privacy Seal and Trusted Download Programs.  An independent, nonprofit organization celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2007, TRUSTe certifies more than 2,000 Web sites, including the major internet portals and leading brands such as AOL, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Intuit and eBay. TRUSTe resolves thousands of individual privacy disputes every year. To learn more about internet privacy visit www.truste.org.

About WhenU

As a behavioral ad targeting company, WhenU gives consumers the choice of viewing a small number of relevant ads and comparison shopping selections as an alternative to paying for some of the most popular applications available online. The Company’s unique privacy technology is the only behavioral advertising option that connects advertisers with opted-in customers without requiring any server-side data capture or individual profiling of any kind. With leading advertisers and publishers, WhenU serves industries ranging from shopping, entertainment, and travel to technology, finance and automotive. WhenU was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in New York City. For more information, please visit www.whenu.com

 

jbolles@whenu.com 212-631-2172
chodge@truste.com 415-520-3415

 



 

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