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PRESS RELEASE
German Banks lead worldwide efforts in protecting online users
80% adopt Extended Validation SSL certificates, but lag in fighting
deceptive email
Wiesbaden, Germany - September 14, 2009 – The
Online Trust Alliance (OTA) and eco
the German Internet Business Association released joint research on German
efforts to protect consumer’s data and privacy at the 7th Annual German
Anti-Spam Summit. Highlighting the data was the adoption by the German
banking community of Extended Validation Certificates, (EV SSL). As a
leading trust indicator, adoption soared to over 80% up from only 24% twelve
months earlier.
EV SSL certificates are one of twelve OTA Online Principles, which are
designed to help protect consumers and assure the long-term vitality of
ecommerce. The Principles stipulate that upon the expiration of existing
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, ecommerce and banking sites MUST
upgrade to EV SSL. The Principles are designed to help address consumer
anxiety resulting from identity theft, forged email and questionable data
sharing practices. Collectively they underscore the need for business
accountability, data stewardship and practices to improve consumer choice
and protection of their data.
“With the onslaught of deceptive email and online crime, it is incumbent for
all business to adopt these Principles to not only help protect their
consumers but their digital brand and stockholders”, said Craig Spiezle,
executive director of OTA. “Left unchecked we risk a consumer trust
meltdown. Businesses who adopt will win consumer trust and realize a
competitive advantage.”
“It is encouraging to see our efforts are paying off. These issues are
world-wide in scope and require collaboration and data sharing by all
stakeholders,” said Harald A. Summa, eco CEO. “Eco joins OTA in supporting
these principles and helping businesses protect their online assets.”
A total of 996 EV SSL certificates have been issued to 509 unique German
companies. Leading German brands include Audi, Deutsche Postbank AG,
Lufthansa and Volkswagen. By establishing stricter issuing criteria, EV SSL
certificates are designed to help restore confidence among users that a
website operator is a legally established business. EV SSLs communicate
their presence by providing a green identifier in a browser’s address bar
and are now supported by nearly every browser. [i]
OTA Principles
https://otalliance.org/resources/principles.html.
“VeriSign is a proponent of OTA’s recommendations to help educate and
protect the identity of e-consumers,” said Tim Callan, vice president of
product marketing at VeriSign. “Due to the ever-increasing threat landscape
and advanced phishing attempts occurring today, it is paramount that
businesses deploy security solutions like EV SSL certificates to ensure the
integrity of their customers’ assets.”
While progress has been made on the web side, German business lags other
countries in adoption of email authentication. OTA research revealed that
only 19% of the top German businesses have adopted either SPF/Sender ID or
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM).[i] Conversely
adoption of the Fortune 100 is at 55% and the top ecommerce sites exceeding
90%. OTA along with eco, other industry organizations and government
agencies have called for the adoption of email authentication to help curb
deceptive and malicious email, often laden with malware and links to
phishing sites. Recognizing the critical importance of email
authentication, the OTA Principles stipulate all consumer facing brands and
companies MUST implement one or more of the leading email authentication
protocols.
The Principles and online trust score card will be presented at the upcoming
Online Trust Summit on October 29th in Philadelphia, coinciding with the
40th Anniversary of the Internet. Speakers are from leading interactive
brands including Bank of America, eHarmony, Federal Trade Commission,
Memolink, Inc., Microsoft, Publishers Clearing House, TRUSTe, Visa and the
US Postal Service. Registration info:
https://otalliance.org/events/Phila09.html
Data & Methodology.
About The Online Trust Alliance (OTA)
https://otalliance.org/
The mission of OTA is to create a trusted global
online ecosystem and foster the elimination of email and Internet fraud,
abuse and cybercrime; thereby enhancing trust, confidence, and the
protection of businesses and consumers. Through its member companies and
organization affiliates, OTA represents over one million businesses and 500
million users worldwide with regional chapters in Asia Pacific, Canada and
Europe. OTA is a 501c6 IRS-approved non-profit, governed by a Board and
Steering Committee including Bank of America, BoxSentry, Datran Media,
Epsilon, Goodmail Systems, Iconix, Internet Identity, Intersections Inc, IronPort (a division
of Cisco Systems), MarkMonitor, Message Systems, Microsoft Corporation, McAfee, Publishers Clearing House, Return Path, Secunia, Symantec Corporation
and VeriSign.
For media-related inquiries or for no-charge press registration,
contact:
Liz Shambaugh
Online Trust Alliance
Lizs@otalliance.org
425-785-7234
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