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TRUSTe
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TRUSTe is an independent, nonprofit privacy organization whose mission is to build users' trust and confidence in the Internet. The TRUSTe “trustmark,” analogous to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, reassures users that a Web site adheres to established privacy principles and promotes informed user consent. (The TRUSTe trustmark is displayed here for identification purposes only and is not intended as an endorsement of the Wordworking Web site.)

The company was founded in 1996 by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the CommerceNet Consortium. Its original name, eTrust, met with a trademark challenge. Napoles Design Group of Larkspur, California, was hired as an identity consultant in May 1997, with Wordworking providing name-development support. We generated more than 400 names ranging from whimsical to earnest. TRUSTe was the most elegant and economical solution: The new visual identity could be created simply by moving the “e” from prefix to suffix position.

The new name, pronounced “trusty,” communicates dependability and honesty while positioning the brand as a “trustee” of Internet security. And the unusual end-of-word position of the “e” affix, signifying “electronic,” enables TRUSTe to stand out in a sea of e-prefixed domain names.