Study sites TRUSTe certified twice as likely as uncertified sites to be bad eggs

[mandy]

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 compared nearly 1,000 Truste-certified sites to more than 500,000 sites as reported by a major ISP. Using MacAfee's automated SiteAdvisor tool which visits site automatically, downloads software and subscribes using single-use email accounts, Edelman found (.pdf) that 5.4% of Trust-E sites were untrustworthy, while only 2.5% of the baseline sites were.

Edelman attributes these results to Truste's reliance on customer complaints, its willingness to allow companies to violate their policies and then fix them later, its reluctance to strip certification and its economic incentive to keep sites as customers.

In comparison, Edelman found that sites in the Better Business Bureau OnLine¿s Privacy Seal Program have substantially higher trustworthiness than the base level sites, which he attributes to the program's stringent requirements...

full article : http://blog.wired.com/27BStroke6/index.b...id=1563286

When a stranger promises "you can trust me," most people know to be extra vigilant. What conclusion should users draw when a web site touts a seal proclaiming its trustworthiness? Some sites that are widely regarded as extremely trustworthy present such seals. But those same seals feature prominently on sites that seek to scam users -- whether through spyware infections, spam, or other unsavory practices.

It's no great surprise that bad actors seek to free-ride on sites users rightly trust. Suppose users have seen a seal on dozens of sites that turn out to be legitimate. Dubious sites can present that same seal to encourage more users to buy, register, or download.

But certification issuers don't have to let this happen. They could develop and enforce tough rules, so that every site showing a seal is a site users aren't likely to regret visiting. Unfortunately, certification don't always live up to this ideal. Writing tough rules isn't easy, and enforcing them is even harder. Hard-hitting rules are particularly unlikely when certification authorities get paid for each certification they issue -- but get nothing for rejecting an applicant. ..

the full research study: http://www.benedelman.org/news/092506-1.html

[xppman]

I would agree with all this guy says but one thing.
The Better Business Bureau also gets a hefty fee and is as corrupte as any can be IMO.

Funny how I can't seem to see where they disclose this fee anywhere on their site UP FRONT.

All these supposed Trust Me seals are a joke anymore IMO.

I can site you two of the world largest companies that are nothing
more than organizes criminals that tout these Trust Me Seals.
eBay and PayPal.  Now tell me these sites are "trustworthy".

Like the guy said:

Hard-hitting rules are particularly unlikely when certification authorities get paid for each certification they issue -- but get nothing for rejecting an applicant. ..

[xppman]

Oh I found it $200.00 is the lowest fee to fly a BBB online Privacy Seal.

Then there is another FEE for the BBBOnLine Reliability seal.

Here is what they say:

How much does the BBBOnLine Reliability seal cost? 
A:
There is a license fee for participating in BBBOnLine Reliability. Fees vary based on the size of the company. Pricing information can be obtained from your local Better Business Bureau.

Translation:
We will size you up, shake you down and see what we can get away with charging you.

My opinion.
Why not disclose a FEE up front?
At least the BBB online Privacy Seal does have a written fee scale.

Now back to my other point.
Just take a LOOK at PayPal.

They fly the logo of the BBB online Privacy Seal.
The compliant file for PP w the BBB is very SMALL compared to the true numbers
of people who have been shafted by PP.
And there is NO WAY the BBB didn't hear about the 9.3 million dollar settlement
in the last class action against PP.

So one (at least I) can only conclude the BBB are crooks too.
IMO they should have dropped PP the minute they reach
a settlement agreement and investigated the policies and practices of PP.
Apparently some one at the BBB didn't feel the NEED to really go over PP's polices and practices for some strange reason.

Now why didn't they bother to do that I wonder. 

I'll TELL you why? Money. Not integrity not transparency or honesty...
Pure cold hard cash.
The last fee for a BBB online Privacy Seal is Over $2 billion =  $7,000.00 fee.  :blinkie:

That's a lot of change to give up,
especially if you piss off the parent company for revoking it's "other company" of it's seal. 

Crooks I tell you... all of them motivated by nothing more than money.  :

[thentavius]

When I filed a complaint with the BBB against a web hosting company that fradulently sucked $450 out of my bank account, the processing fee was "optional" and was considered a donation. I paid the recommended $10 donation.

[xppman]

[quote author=thentavius link=topic=5278.msg24964#msg24964 date=1159371746]
When I filed a complaint with the BBB against a web hosting company that fradulently sucked $450 out of my bank account, the processing fee was "optional" and was considered a donation. I paid the recommended $10 donation.
[/quote]

The "recommended" $10 donation is to grease the palm of the BBB.

See what I mean?

Kind of like Square Trade. Peeps pay for the SEAL but if an issue comes up.
You pay again for mediation?  hmmmm

Just another racket IMO 

[thentavius]

Squaretrade can suck my a$$. I've noticed fewer and fewer ST seals, too, have you??

And you know what--that's actually what I figured the "donation" was for, so I went ahead and paid it hoping it would make them work on my case faster, since it was optional. Kind of like buying a magazine when you submit a Publisher's Clearing House letter.

Btw, I never did get my money back.

[xppman]

There you go.
That's the whole reason for ME even commenting in this topic.

These third party Safe Seal sites are a JOKE.
I mean who is CERTIFYING THE CERTIFIERS ANYWAY?

There is no resolution or REAL enforcement after a problem occurs.

BBB or ST or ANY of them have NO authority to do jack shit.
So what's the point of paying any of these clowns?

It's all just eye candy to make your customers feel better.
So it seems and is ALL they are selling.

A FALSE sense of "security".

[valleygirl]

It's all just eye candy to make your customers feel better.
So it seems and is ALL they are selling.

It makes my customers trust my site so I'm happy to buy eye candy.  I have BBB, HackerSafe, BizRate, Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode, and Thawte SSL seals.

[xppman]

Well my point wasn't to try and cut down anyone who has purchased these "seals".
It's your money to spend how ever you want.
If you have an extra k laying around buy me some "eye candy" too please. 
I'd like to see if it increase my sales.
(Been there done that... no difference or sudden "PEEK" in sales for flying a seal). :
I know some SSL certs are offering "seals" and I can see the significance
of having some of them.

I was more or less feeding of the line "When a stranger promises "you can trust me," most people know to be extra vigilant." and that this guy somehow thinks that the BBB is all that.



And yes I'm sure some of the public are STILL foolish enough to buy into the
"Seals on site" is somehow what makes it a safe site or merchant.

My real point was that these sites that sell YOU seals are just doing it for the money.
I guess if a SEAL is what you need to sell, well then a SEAL you must have. 

[Anita]

I think I used to be a typical Internet user... The two I have looked for over the years are Verisign and BBB. 
No certificate would have made me RUN a few years ago.