On January 10, 2005, TRUSTe and Ponemon Institute, a think tank dedicated to advancing responsible information management practices in business and government, announced that they were presenting HP with the 2004 Most Trusted Company for Privacy Award for its establishment and enforcement of progressive privacy practices. The award matches consumer perceptions of trust with expert insight into a company’s active privacy initiatives to create a trusted brand.

A judging panel consisting of privacy experts from academia and industry reviewed and selected HP out of 50 eligible companies. The 50 companies had topped the list in a consumer-focused study that Ponemon Institute and TRUSTe had released in June 2004. In that survey, which polled more than 6,300 consumers, the public identified eBay, American Express, and HP as the leading companies in trust and privacy protection. (To read more about the Most Trusted Companies Consumer Study, visit the TRUSTe Web site.)

The panel then reviewed the finalists’ internal programs, focusing on the effective and innovative privacy policies actually being applied in each company’s business.

“HP ranked high in consumer’s overall perceptions and was able to support its leading position with an aggressive and thorough privacy campaign,” said Fran Maier, president and executive director of TRUSTe. “HP has been active in making privacy a priority in how it interacts with customers and conducts business at large. We applaud their efforts and the importance they place on privacy throughout their organization.”

The judging committee tasked with evaluating in-house company privacy programs included Mary Culnan, professor at Bentley College; James Koenig, privacy practice leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers; Fran Maier, president and executive director for TRUSTe; Larry Ponemon, founder and chairman for Ponemon Institute; and Eric Sinrod, legal columnist for USATODAY.com.

 

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