Arlington, VA - January 7, 2002 --- Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts today launched his re-election campaign website (www.johnkerry.com) -the first political campaign website to have been approved to carry the Better Business Bureaus' BBBOnLine Privacy Seal for setting a high standard to protect the privacy of those who visit the site.

Privacy is an important element for any website seeking to develop a trusted relationship with visitors to, or users of, the site. The Kerry website team worked with BBBOnLine to address this early on in the development process to ensure that the site would be launched with the seal in place to attest to the campaign's commitment to online privacy.

"The BBBOnLine Privacy seal is backed by the credibility and high name recognition of the Better Business Bureau system. By qualifying for this seal, I'm moving proactively to assure all visitors to johnkerry.com that we will treat their personal information in accordance with high BBBOnLine standards," said Senator Kerry. "In the Senate, I've worked to protect consumer privacy, and my campaign website will walk the talk and set a high standard that ensures the rhetoric lives up to reality."

Applicants for the BBBOnLine Privacy Seal undergo an extensive review to verify that they handle personal data received through their website according to the comprehensive requirements set by the program. Websites qualifying for the seal must post a privacy notice that is easy to find, easy to read and easy to understand. It must include information on choice regarding use of data, access to data, transfer of information to third parties, data integrity, and security.

"Online privacy protection is not an easy process, but it is crucial to meeting consumer expectations and building trust in the Internet. Very few have demonstrated the commitment to individual rights -online or off-line - that John Kerry has," noted Bob Williams, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern MA, ME and VT and BBBOnLine Board member.

About BBBOnLine
BBBOnLine (www.bbbonline.org) brings the Better Business Bureau system's 90 years of experience in consumer protection and business self-regulation to e-commerce. Guided by its mission to promote consumer trust on the Internet, and working in concert with the 144 local BBBs in the United States and Canada, BBBOnLine encourages sound and ethical online business practices through its Privacy program, Reliability program and the BBB Code of Online Business Practices.