American Express ranked as the #1 Most Trusted Company for 2008 for Privacy, retaining its place from last year despite the current financial climate. Rounding out the top five are; eBay, IBM, Amazon, and Johnson & Johnson.
The technology sector also showed marked improvement as eBay, Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft, and HP all bettered previous rankings. Also of note, Facebook moved into the top 20 for the first time, signifying an increased trust in social networking as a mainstream communications tool.
Of the top 20 companies named, 13 certify their Web site privacy with TRUSTe. We are excited that our efforts to build trust for our seal holders have resonated with consumers on this level, and we see these results as a coup for the TRUSTe brand as consumers increasingly associate “trust” with “TRUSTe.”
The survey notes a significant gap developing between the importance privacy holds with consumers and the sense of control they feel they have over their personal information.
TRUSTe and Ponemon Institute will host a Webinar to discuss the Most Trusted Companies for Privacy award on January 21, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. PST. Larry Ponemon will present. To RSVP for the Webinar, please email webinar@truste.com with the subject “Most Trusted Company for Privacy Award.”
Links:
SFGate.com Article: Google off list of 20 most trusted companies
Ponemon/TRUSTe 12/15/08 Press Release