The Online Trust Alliance and Members Demonstrate Innovation and Leadership at RSA

OTA Continues Growth Dedicated to Enhancing Online Trust and Securing the Vitality and Innovation of the Internet

San Francisco, CA -  February 22, 2012 - The Online Trust Alliance (OTA) today announced participation by its executive leadership as well as members in over a dozen sessions at RSA 2012.  OTA also announced an expanded Steering Committee with the appointment of Pitney Bowes and the appointment of Joe St Sauver of the University of Oregon and Internet2 as a technical advisor; and the addition of new members: Twitter, Diebold and OpenX.  With the leadership of new advisors and members, and that of over 85 current member companies, OTA continues to accelerate the deployment of best practices in security, privacy and identity protection to help protect and enhance the innovation and vitality of the internet.  

This growth adds to the diversity and expands the list of leading brand-name organizations who have committed to security best practices and consumer protection by joining OTA, including: American Greetings Interactive, eHarmony, Microsoft, PayPal, Publishers Clearing House, RiskIQ, Secunia, Symantec, Quepasa, VeriSign, and Zynga.  

OTA and its members are participating in over a dozen key sessions at RSA 2012 championing best practices recommended by OTA, including Always On SSL, email authentication & DMARC and botnet remediation.  In addition, OTA Executive Director and President Craig Spiezle will be participating with Howard Schmidt, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator, highlighting the role of public/private partnerships and discussing the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace.  For more information about which sessions OTA and its members are participating in during RSA 2012, please visit: https://otalliance.org/rsa.html.  

“OTA’s work is critical at this point in time in order to help foster a healthy internet ecosystem for consumers and mailers,” said Chuck Cordray, president of Volly, Pitney Bowes.  “We have built a strong relationship with OTA over the years, and are looking forward to taking a leadership position in the public, private and consumer dialogue helping to ensure online security and peace of mind for consumers.”

OTA’s expansion and participation at RSA comes on the heels of increased activity from the organization, including:

• Release of the 2012 Data Protection & Breach Readiness Guide

• Launch of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance) to help counter malicious email and phishing

• Appointment to the FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC), focused on botnet remediation best practices and ISP voluntary code of conduct.

• Developing and delivering email security training to the Department of Homeland Security.

• Implementation of the Why Your Browser Matters campaign, a multi-stake holder initiative to provide teachable moments to upgrade to modern browsers.

“At a conference like RSA, or any public forum, it’s critical to take a holistic view of the internet ecosystem, promoting private/public partnerships to develop voluntary best practices which are consumer centric,” said Craig Spiezle, executive director and president, Online Trust Alliance “The OTA continues to deliver guidelines and resources, which promote consumer privacy and security.  This is only achievable through the objectivity and commitment to consumer trust exemplified by our membership.”    

The OTA Steering Committee has been structured to include representatives of all facets of the internet ecosystem to provide balance and a 360 degree view of the issues and best practices.  The 2012 members of the Steering Committee include Debix, DigiCert, Epsilon, IID, Intersections, LashBack, MarkMonitor, Message Systems, Microsoft, PayPal, Pitney Bowes, Publishers Clearing House, Return Path, Secunia, Star Marketing Group, Symantec Corporation, TrustSphere and VeriSign Inc.  

OTA has re-affirmed and expanded its strategic advisors, who are tasked with critical thinking and thought leadership into key OTA deliverables.  The newest member of the think tank is Joe St Sauver of the University of Oregon and Internet2, well known for his technical research and contributions to a broad array of governments and industry associations.  St Sauver joins thought leaders David Daniels, a founding member of OTA who is CEO of the Relevancy Group, a leader in interactive and email marketing; Jules Polonetsky, co-chair, Future of Privacy Forum; Michael Osterman, CEO of Osterman Research, a leading email and enterprise consultancy; and Don Blumenthal, senior policy advisor, Public Interest Registry.  

About The Online Trust Alliance (OTA) https://otalliance.org

OTA’s mission is to develop and advocate best practices, public policy and self-regulation to mitigate emerging privacy, identity and security threats to online services, brands, government, organizations and consumers.  By enhancing online trust and confidence, we can realize the potential of the internet, promote innovation and the vitality of commerce.

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