TRUSTe Still Trustworthy?

TRUSTe’s Certified Privacy Seals are littered on websites throughout the internet. TRUSTEe claims in advertisements that it is “the #1 privacy brand,” and says its Certified Privacy Seal is “recognized globally by consumers, businesses, and regulators as demonstrating privacy best practices.” TRUSTe further claims that to display the TRUSTe icon, sites must meet requirements about the transparency and verification of their privacy practices, as well as consumer choice about how personal information is collected and used. Finally, they claim to use a variety of tools to test and verify compliance. The FTC, however, did not agree and brought a complaint alleging TRUSTe violated Section 5 of the FTC Act – deceptive advertising. The complaint charges that TRUSTe’s claim that “Participant shall undergo recertification to verify ongoing compliance with these Program Requirements annually,” was not true citing that TRUSTe didn’t conduct any kind of recertification in more than 1,000 instances between 2006 and January 2013.