ONLINE PRIVACY ALLIANCE CALLS ON BUSINESSES AT INTERNET
WORLD TO POST PRIVACY POLICIES ON WEB SITES

"We encourage businesses to post privacy policies and abide by them," said Christine Varney, a former FTC Commissioner and advisor to the Online Privacy Alliance. "This education effort by the portal companies should help consumers better understand how to protect their privacy and should encourage businesses to take steps to foster an online environment that respects privacy."

Ms. Varney applauded the initiative by the portal companies ­ grouped as the Privacy Partnership ­ to raise awareness of online privacy by running banner ads through the month of October to educate consumers.

Many Online Privacy Alliance companies are also part of the Privacy Partnership, including America Online, Excite, Infoseek, Microsoft, Netscape and Yahoo!

The announcement of the Privacy Partnership initiative follows work by the Online Privacy Alliance to establish a set of guidelines for businesses to use in creating individual privacy policies for web sites. The guidelines, published last summer, are posted on the coalitionšs web site, www.privacyalliance.org, along with other information to help businesses.

In addition to the guidelines, the web site contains the Online Privacy Alliancešs guidelines for collecting information from children, and a framework for a system of enforcement. The Online Privacy Alliance encourages companies to post privacy policies and then join one of the enforcement programs currently being developed ­ BBBOnline or Truste, a co-sponsor of the Privacy Partnership.

A number of Online Privacy Alliance companies are exhibiting and speaking this week at Internet World, which is focusing on e-commerce. Companies like Compaq, IBM, MatchLogic will be highlighting the importance of privacy in discussions at the trade show and distributing information about privacy at their booths.

The Online Privacy Alliance is holding briefings throughout the fall to raise awareness among businesses about the need to respect consumer privacy. Briefings will be held on October 28 and November 2 in Washington D.C., November 10 in New York City, November 12 in San Francisco and November 16 in Boston. Additional briefings are being planned for Texas and Washington State.

Companies in the Online Privacy Alliance represent a broad array of industrial sectors including high-technology, telecommunications, online and Internet services, financial services, retail, entertainment, marketing and publishing. The companies are large and small and are located throughout the country. Information on joining the Alliance can be found at the web site.

Supporters of the Alliance include; Acxiom, America Online, Inc., American Advertising Federation, American Electronics Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Apple Computer, AT&T, Bay Networks, Bell Atlantic, CASIE (CASIE is representing Association of National Advertisers & American Association of Advertising Agencies), Cisco, Compaq, Dell, Direct Marketing Association, Disney, Dun & Bradstreet, eBay Inc., Eastman Kodak, Co., EDS, E-LOAN, Equifax, European-American Business Council, Ernst and Young, Experian, Ford, Gateway, GeoCities, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Individual Reference Services Group, Information Technology Association of America, Information Technology Industry Council, InsWeb Corporation, Interactive Travel Services Association (ITSA), Internet Alliance, LEXIS-NEXIS, MatchLogic, MCI, Microsoft, Narrowline Inc., NationsBank, NCR, NETCOM On-Line Communication Services, Inc., Netscape, Oracle, Preview Travel, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Procter & Gamble, Sun Microsystems, The Software Publishers Association, Time Warner Inc., The United States Chamber of Commerce, The United States Council for International Business, Viacom, Xerox, and Yahoo!.

Companies looking for help on posting a privacy policy or other information about the Alliance should visit our web site at www.privacyalliance.com or contact the Alliance at 202/244-8854.