BBBOnLine, KIEC, JADMA and JCCI Build Momentum for an International Trust Initiative for E-Commerce
Self-Regulation Project to Harmonize Codes of Conduct, Define Dispute Resolution Mechanisms, Use Recognizable International Trustmark
ARLINGTON, VA, September 14, 2001 The Better Business Bureau's online subsidiary (BBBOnLine), the Korean Institute for Electronic Commerce (KIEC), the Japan Direct Marketing Association (JADMA) and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) have agreed to move toward establishing an international "Online Trust Alliance." The new partnership is expected to better promote trust and confidence on the Internet and foster safe cross border e-commerce.
About Trustmark Programs
Trustmark programs are initiatives that are designed to help consumers find reliable online businesses with which they may safely transact e-commerce. The programs require participating businesses to abide by certain standards, and allow them to display the trustmark on their websites.
- In the United States, the Better Business Bureau, which has a long history of self-regulation in Business-to-Consumer (B2C) relationships, started the BBBOnLine Reliability Seal Program in 1997. BBBOnLine currently has about 10,000 participants.
- In Japan, the Japan Direct Marketing Association (JADMA) and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) started the Online Shopping Trustmark last June, and have 540 participants.
- In Korea, the Korean Institute for Electronic Commerce (KIEC), which was established based on the "Basic Law on Electronic Commerce", operates the eTrust program and has about 110 participants.
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[trustmark of KIEC] |
[trustmark of JADMA and JCCI] |
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About the Agreement on September 14
On September 14th in Tokyo, principals of BBBOnLine, KIEC, JADMA and JCCI signed an agreement to work together toward establishing an international "Online Trust Alliance," in cooperation with BBBOnLine's European partners, Eurochambres and the Federation of European Direct Marketing Associations (FEDMA) which have already committed to the Alliance. (See: http://www.bbb.org/alerts/us%20fedma%20eu.asp)
The "Online Trust Alliance" is a project that seeks international coordination among local trustmark programs. It consists of the following three elements:
- minimum international standards for responsible online business practices,
- compatible consumer complaint resolution procedures and technologies, and
- an international trustmark that would be used in conjunction with each organization's own local trustmarks.
This project would provide a unique solution to consumer complaints that occur in connection with international B2C transactions, which are becoming more and more common.
For example, suppose that a Japanese consumer bought a product from a U.S. company and sought complaint resolution for any reason. Currently, he or she has to bring the complaint to the company itself or to third party organization in the U.S., such as the BBB. Once the Online Trust Alliance is established, a Japanese consumer would be able to bring the complaint to a trustmark-related organization located in Japan, and the organization and its partner in the U.S. would work cooperatively to resolve the dispute.
The organizations agreed to use "best efforts" to have the Online Trust Alliance fully operational as early as possible in 2002, with the goal to have a signed final agreement establishing the Online Trust Alliance by the end of the first quarter of 2002.
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