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Fortune 500 Demonstrates Commitment to Online Safety  
AOTA Announces Online Safety Leadership Awards at April Summit; Call for Nominations of Companies Committed to Protecting Consumer Safety Online  

BOSTON - March 7, 2007 - Today, the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) named the top Fortune 500 companies who have demonstrated commitment to online safety by authenticating their email and domains, protecting users from forged email and phishing ploys.  In just 20 months, the Fortune 500 has shown an increase in adoption of Sender ID from seven percent to over 25 percent.  

The leaders represent top brands spanning many industries, including industrial manufacturers Boeing Aircraft, Caterpillar and Exxon; consumer brands Disney, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Sears and Best Buy; technology leaders Cisco, Dell, IBM and Microsoft; and financial institutions AIG, American Express, Bank of America, Citibank, JPMorganChase, New York Life, Wachovia and Wells Fargo. For a complete listing of compliant and non-compliant Fortune 500 companies click here.

"These companies are to be commended, and it is our hope others will follow their leadership and make a commitment to online safety," said Craig Spiezle, executive director and chair of AOTA.  "Companies that adopt will gain a competitive advantage, and we urge consumers and users to demand that their retailers, banks and insurance companies take these necessary steps. Those who do not adopt authentication are putting their customers, investors and users at an unnecessary risk."  

For nearly three years, email authentication has been advocated by the industry and the Federal Trade Commission and is required for membership with the Direct Marketing Association and Email Sender and Provider Coalition, (ESPC). Combined, they estimate that upwards of 85 percent of all email marketers are now compliant.  In addition, email authentication is a best practice advocated by TRUSTe, the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) and Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG).

AOTA Announces Call for Nominations for Online Safety Leadership Awards Program
To recognize the safety efforts of responsible organizations, AOTA has announced a call for nominations of companies who have demonstrated leadership in online safety. Nominated companies must be authenticating outbound email and corporate domain via Sender ID or Domain Keys and will be judged based on several criteria including but not limited to:

• Adoption of innovative technologies
• Commitment to user education Industry and business collaboration
• Dedication to working with governments and law enforcement to bring online criminals to justice
• Achievements   

Nominations can be made through April 4, 2007. To download the nomination form click here.  Winners will be announced at the upcoming Authentication and Online Trust Summit, April 18-19, 2007 at the Boston Sheraton.

Comments from Around the Industry

"Phishing, crimeware and spam emails are the preferred tools of today's electronic criminals. Authentication of emails, websites and users on the Internet is a crucial technology for keeping electronic commerce and communications safe and secure. Those companies that demonstrate industry leadership to keep their customers safe are to be recognized and congratulated."

Dave Jevans, Chairman
Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG)

"DMA has strongly supported email authentication since its inception in 2004, making it a requirement for DMA membership just one year later in 2005. We are extremely pleased by the efforts of so many senders who have taken action to protect users since then. Recognizing these companies for setting the highest standards for ethical and responsible marketing practices should set an example for the entire sending community and serve as a wake-up call for those who are not using authentication."

Dr. Ramesh Lakshmi Ratan, Executive Vice President and COO
Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

"The only way to effectively fight online abuse is for the industry to actively adopt the practices proven to safeguard consumers. The MAAWG members who come together for this purpose applaud the efforts of those recognized by the AOTA awards. These companies and individuals are truly leaders in combating online and messaging abuse."

Jerry Upton, Executive Director
Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG)

"With phishing and other online scams increasing at rapid rates, protecting consumer communications and the Internet as a platform for commerce is everyone’s business. We salute the leading companies across a spectrum of industries that are adopting innovative technology and best practices to protect consumers from these insidious threats and to strengthen their own competitive edge."

Frederick Felman, Chief Marketing Officer
MarkMonitor

"Sender ID is providing real business value to the entire ecosystem, helping to protect consumers and millions of businesses from online exploits. With adoption now over 40% of all legitimate email worldwide, Sender ID is dramatically helping ISPs and receiving networks to improve the deliverability of and trust of legitimate email. We are encouraged by these companies leadership and their commitment to online safety."

John Scarrow
General Manager Anti-Spam Technologies
Microsoft Corporation

About the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA)
Founded in October 2004, the mission of AOTA is to enhance online trust and confidence, by facilitating best practices and the deployment of Internet authentication and reputation standards and solutions. With the onslaught of phishing and forged email, this collaboration is critical to help ensure the reliability and deliverability of email, reinforce online trust and confidence, and to protect the brands and domains of businesses worldwide.  

AOTA's steering committee members include Acxiom Digital, Datran Media, the Direct Marketing Association, Epsilon, IronPort Systems, MarkMonitor, Microsoft Corporation, RSA, the Security Division of EMC, Secure Computing Corporation and Symantec Corporation.  For more information, visit www.aotalliance.org/

Media Contact:
Kathleen Formidoni blast! PR for the AOTA
(919) 833-9975 x11
kathleen@blastpr.com

* The listing is based the Fortune 500 list for 2006 as published at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/full_list/.  This analysis is based on web domains which resolve to a company's corporate home page.  Determination of companies authenticating their corporate domain is based on the presence of a valid Sender ID Framework (SIDF) compliant SPF text record found in the domain's zone file.  DNS queries were completed on March 5, 2007 using the Sender ID Wizard www.microsoft.com/senderid/wizard  and validated by MarkMonitor Inc, www.markmonitor.com.  AOTA recognizes that listed companies may be authenticating other domains and mail streams utilizing other complementary technologies.  Results are not an indicator of the intent or the reputation of the name companies and neither AOTA, Inc. nor its members or underwriters endorse any of the listed companies. Companies listed are not necessarily endorsing AOTA, AOTA underwriters, and/or the Sender ID Framework.  To report updates, email "staff AT aotalliance.org".  Validated updates will be posted monthly on www.aotalliance.org.