mcm worldwide is a leather luxury goods brand founded by michael cromer and bought out by sungjoo group in 2005 .

the brand ’s signature logo-printed material , called cognac visetos , appears on many of its products .

its brass plate insignia is found on all heritage collection bags , and most products ; each brass plate is identified by a unique number at the bottom .

mcm sells its products through wholesale accounts , franchises and directly operated stores .

mcm worldwide

glassdoor has 18 mcm worldwide reviews submitted anonymously by mcm worldwide employees . read employee reviews and ratings on glassdoor to decide if mcm worldwide is right for you .
glassdoor is your resource for information about mcm worldwide benefits and perks . learn about mcm worldwide , including insurance benefits , retirement benefits , and vacation policy . benefits information above is provided anonymously by current and former mcm worldwide employees , and may include a summary provided by the employer .
how much do mcm worldwide employees make ? glassdoor has salaries , wages , tips , bonuses , and hourly pay based upon employee reports and estimates .
bof : china is mcm’s biggest customer base . who is the mcm customer in china ? what are they buying ?
after licensing mcm in 1991 , she bought the german brand from a swiss financier in 2005 . on her business cards , she calls herself mcm ' s chief visionary officer .
mcm , we are a german born brand . from munich 1976 , heritage craftsmanship combined with our exploration of the world is the unique alchemy that created us . mcm is on a global journey .
following the brand’s first runway show in beijing , two weeks ago , bof sat down with sung - joo kim , chairperson of mcm holding ag ( mother company of mcm ) and mcm products ag , to talk about wooing the chinese customer , building the brand beyond its logo and going west .
mcm makes around 60 percent of sales in asia and the rest in europe , middle east and america .
mcm ag ' s chairperson and chief visionary officer sung - joo kim says she has been on a mission since her college days ‒ to empower herself and other women . her success to date with mcm demonstrates what can be achieved .
started out well in 2014 fast paced a lot of opportunities over very exciting time . was so excited to work for mcm .
' in asia the young generation are the movers and shakers ' … mcm chief visionary officer kim sung joo . photograph : bloomberg via getty images
bof sits down with mcm’s sung - joo kim to talk about wooing the chinese customer , building the brand beyond its logo and going west .
almost 10 years later , mcm is set to hit 2014 sales of $ 650 million , according to figures provided by the company , and has built a network of 300 stores in over 35 countries . forty of these stores are in china , mcm’s fastest growing market , and the company plans to open 30 more by 2015 . indeed , a significant part of mcm’s turnaround can be attributed to the brand’s popularity with chinese consumers .
bof : in recent years korea has emerged as cultural leader in asia . do you think this has helped propel mcm’s expansion in china in particular ?
never mind hermès and louis vuitton : mcm is the it bag for 21st - century global nomads everywhere . hannah marriott traces a success story from germany , via south korea
if anything , she says , mcm is
a global baby incubated out of a korean cradle
. which , as a narrative goes , is incredibly 21st century .
unlike many european brands , for example , mcm ' s image and style is not led by one star designer , but developed by an in - house team of stylists .
another example of mcm ' s success in the west was its appearance in the american television hit , gossip girl , while a triumph was having beyoncé and rihanna carry the bags .
according to maude churchill , an editor on streetwear site highsnobiety , mcm burst on to the scene a few years ago and has since been seen in the hands of the right celebrities and in credible collaborations with designers and artists .
mcm crosses the boundaries of streetwear and high - end fashion ,
she says .
it ' s luxurious but kitsch .
sung - joo kim ' s view is that the rejuvenated mcm brand has touched the heart of asians because of the authenticity of its european heritage melded with the small details - not the traditional luxury stereotypes - needed to communicate with the asian consumer .
you can sum it up in one german word : zeitgeist . that is very mcm ,
she said .
mcm is about unique luxury — we represent youthful luxury . many old school european houses have great craftsmanship and heritage , but are becoming boring and too conservative for the emerging consumers in asia . in asia today it’s all about the young professionals who are the next generation of consumers . they have different needs and a new perception of luxury . that’s what mcm is feeding on .
mcm , whose prices are around the same level as brands such as louis vuitton and celine , now makes around $ 700 million in annual sales — putting it on par with the likes of versace .
our logo is a reflection of our rich heritage . mcm ' s beribboned laurel leaves pay tribute to king ludwig i ' s passion for all that was neoclassical , as well as representing the greek symbol for victory . our diamonds symbolize value , strength and durability without compromise in beauty , inspired by the diamonds of the bavarian flag entitled
weiss blauer himmel
. each mcm piece continues to be personalized with a unique number engraved on the iconic brass plate , a craftsmanship tradition that continues to this day . like a treasured heirloom , this signature detail is the finishing touch to every mcm product , making every item iconic .
in germany and was doing very well in asia . but the original founder had some personal problems and the brand suddenly disappeared . it was then sold to new owners in switzerland who didn’t have much experience in the luxury segment . at that time korea was feeling the effects of the asian financial crisis , so i restructured my company and sold most of my licences except for mcm . by 2005 we had helped to re - grow mcm to a 100 million dollar business in korea alone . we were still paying high royalties , so we decided to take on all operational aspects of the brand and acquired mcm holdings and ownership of the whole global market .
in fact , mcm does have a story – and a compelling one at that . the company was founded in 1976 in germany , named after its founder as michael cromer münchen . with a hint of louis vuitton about its repetitive patterns , the bags were popular in the 1980s , when diana ross used its suitcases on tour , while trunks were carried by obsequious porters on dynasty as a signifier of wealth and success . by the 1990s , mcm had more than 250 stores across the world and its advertising campaigns , shot by herb ritts , featured cindy crawford naked but for an mcm bag . in the noughties , however , the business floundered , becoming mired in financial problems . its founder was investigated for alleged tax evasion , fakes flooded the market and the brand ' s designs lost their appeal . for more than a decade , mcm was barely mentioned in western fashion circles at all .
our customer goes beyond income level , age group , beyond east or west , man or woman . it’s very much about convergence : what’s strong about mcm is that the product combines european heritage with asian needs and taste .
looking at one of seoul ' s mcm stores - and the shops tend to have different personalities according to the district and the clients - i could see a switch from the glitzy , over - the - top embellishment that had once been the brand ' s dna . that was when the us global tv sensation
dynasty
set the tone for 1980s style and joan collins ' s character , alexis carrington colby , travelled the world with mcm luggage .
south korea is home the world ' s biggest duty - free market with about $ 8 billion in 2015 sales , and in such shops , mcm is the second - biggest fashion brand by sales after louis vuitton , kim said .
she elaborates ,
mcm customers are the movers and shakers , because they are so well informed by digital media they are very trend conscious , brand conscious , and they are high income earning professionals or have affordable free income from wealthy parents . the way this young generation relates to luxury is different from what we experienced before .
she believes that mcm knows
exactly what asian customers want ,
and strong sales in the asian market suggest she is right .
but sung - joo kim is not just basking in asian fame . she has new lands to conquer in june 2016 , when mcm takes part in london collections : men . this will be another step towards giving the brand global recognition .
even if sung - joo kim were not clutching a super - sized leather rabbit and running up the stairs of her mcm store to reach an installation of a space station , you would have to warm to this dynamic , enthusiastic south korean entrepreneur .
mcm ' s salvation came from south korea , one of the few places it had remained prominent , when the company that had licensed the brand – sungjoo group – acquired the business in 2005 . then , mcm ' s global sales stood at $ 100m ( £60m ) . after changing the name ( it is now known as modern creation münchen ) and hiring adidas global creative director michael michalsky to create sporty , dynamic , youthful designs , it boomed . in 2011 sales were reported as $ 400m ; by 2013 , $ 500m . this year , sales are forecast to hit $ 650m , with the company considering a stock market launch and projecting sales of $ 1 . 5bn within three or four years . asia is the main market , by quite some stretch – china , korea and japan each contribute almost a third of mcm ' s revenue – but europe is ripe for expansion , as the opening of a dedicated 105 sq m mcm boutique at harrods last month , and a planned opening in bond street next year , attest .
mcm plans to open forty new stores in china in the 2014 - 2015 fiscal year , and it has also seen strong gains in europe and the united states . new stores have been opened in france and germany , and , in america , the brand is being distributed in luxury department stores saks fifth avenue , bergdorf goodman , and neiman marcus . an mcm boutique opened in soho , new york city in january this year , and the company plans to launch its global e - commerce effort out of new york .
mcm , the brand owned and run by one of south korea ' s best - known female entrepreneurs , sung - joo kim , aims to more than double sales to $ 2 billion within five years , tapping into shoppers ' growing appetite for niche luxury brands .
in 2005 , korean entrepreneur sung - joo kim , who made a fortune licensing european luxury lines in asia and had owned the licence for mcm in korea since the late 1990s , stepped in and acquired the entire business for an undisclosed amount . after changing the brand’s name to mode creation munich , ms kim ( nicknamed
genghis kim
for her drive and ambition ) spent the next few years rebuilding mcm’s image from scratch , shutting down the company’s global operations and refocusing her efforts solely on asia , particularly in korea and china .
it seems that sung - joo kim has a different strategy from the global luxury houses , from dior to givenchy , that surround the mcm store on upscale cheongdam - dong , the heart of seoul ' s
gangnam style
, promoted by k - pop singer psy .
sjk : at the time when i bought the brand , in europe mcm was tarnished in terms of its distribution channel and product quality . i knew that in order to recover its luxury positioning i had to clean it up . we closed down most of our wholesale accounts and made the global market zero [ by closing down stores in many countries and terminating local licensing operations ] except for korea . i always recognised that the future market for mcm was asia , so we began securing prime locations in top cities . we eventually opened our first boutique in china in 2010 .
in korea . mcm approached me and we took the first overseas licence to distribute the bags in korea and produce bags for the korean and american market . by 1996 , however , the brand was experiencing problems — it had nothing to do with its success , as it was more popular than
but sung - joo kim , 59 , is not one of those icy figures striking fear across the boardroom . she strode in - white shirt , mannish jacket and narrow trousers ending in immaculate sneakers - and immediately showed me the video of the fashion show that mcm had recently held in china .
among the flashing lights and k - pop soundtrack by the south korean - chinese boy band exo , mcm filled the huge arena of phoenix tv ' s international media centre in beijing with scores of male and female models . this video showed me why korean style is the fashion ideology of china .
seoul , south korea — mcm , the german accessories brand owned and run by one of south korea ' s best - known female entrepreneurs , sung - joo kim , aims to more than double sales to $ 2 billion within five years , tapping into shoppers ' growing appetite for niche luxury brands .
kim concedes that the notion of luxury goods is affiliated with europe .
european companies are dominating the luxury business , because they have a long history , several hundred years of art , music and architecture . in the fashion industry we cannot ignore that they are definitely still the dominant power .
kim realized that mcm ' s strength lay in its brand name that had been built and solidified over decades . armed with the knowledge of branding power , she forged ahead into the fashion arena to reinvigorate it .
mcm is about a dynamic , functional , innovative and empowered lifestyle ,
kim stresses .
. a recent internal study by ac nielson found that the chinese perceived mcm in the same tier as brands like chanel and prada . that being said , we are now elastic in terms of price range — we have lines at a higher price point but also more global lines in the affordable product range .
in the late nineties , kim states that she learned from the fashion house gucci how
a chaotic brand can turn around within three to five years .
invited to be a member of the strategy team responsible for re - launching gucci as a more fashion - forward brand , kim recognized the importance of branding .
i learned how a brand can turn around in a very dynamic way . i learned restructuring , and rebuilding brand power from gucci . i had also learned , early enough through the licensing business with mcm , how to manufacture . combining the two , i applied what i learned to rebuilding mcm ,
kim asserts .
sjk : definitely . like i said , the chinese have their own mind - set , but it’s closer to the korean thinking than that of europeans or americans . they understand the korean market , which is well exposed to european luxury . so while mcm is german , it’s also about asian tastes and details that they can relate to .
if you haven ' t heard of mcm , you have probably seen it somewhere . on celebrities ranging from cristiano ronaldo to beyoncé to rihanna , maybe , or on the backs of fashion students . in general , customers tend to be young : bloggers posing for photographs outside fashion shows , rather than the old guard of editors on the front row .
mcm blossomed on the heels of a cultural renaissance of modernism , novelty and progressivism . dubbed “the glamorous and legendary years of munich” , it was an era of rebellion , marked by a generation of creative visionaries , musicians , jetsetters , entrepreneurs , and stars and starlets alike . it was the start of a new era of nightlife and daily life where anything was possible .
to have taken a word that has never found a precise translation in any other language , yet to distill its essence to asia , is mcm ' s success story .
our life is just a journey ,
sung - joo kim continued .
we are constantly moving , not only physically but mentally , so that we can assist the needs of the new 21 st - century generation .
i realised how nuanced the approach to the local market has to be when we visited another store in seoul ' s myeong - dong shopping area downtown , where the mcm letters shone brightly from a metal shop front and lettering on the windows announced
space odyssey
. the inside was even more full - on : a space capsule poised for take off , and a moving rail with perspex baubles encasing the bags .
during the past couple of seasons , however , a new breed of it bag has emerged . it might be golden brown , cobalt blue or fondant fancy pink . it could be adorned with metal rivets or covered with menacing - looking spikes . whether cross - body , bucket - shaped or a thick - strapped backpack , it is likely to be covered , unashamedly , with a repeated logo : a laurel , a diamond and the letters mcm .
we want to be different from the rest in the fact that mcm has origins in germany , but has had this great success in asia ,
said the ceo .
we understand the tastes and needs of young people , which is the key that everybody else hasn ' t been able to figure out . the young generation are born with computers , so they expect brands to be interactive and for luxury to be functional ,
she explained .
now that mcm is installed in china , sung - joo kim ' s aim is to achieve something not yet seen in the luxury market : for the brand to return to its roots in europe and early popularity in america via its pan - asian success .
with this strong base in asia , we could go back , while everyone else has followed the reverse path ,
she said , referring to the usual global progress from europe or america to asia .
to observers , kim ' s mission to rebrand a globally recognized luxury name seemed very challenging . she admits that acquiring mcm was courageous .
when i bought the brand in 2005 , it was a brave move . i was a medium - sized company owner , without much money or resources , not even much human resources , but what i learned from gucci is that when something ' s messy , try not to add , try to clean up first .
kim believes the success of the company ' s rucksacks backs up her theory about the new
global nomad
consumer .
it ' s ironic that a handbag business is [ selling so many ] hands - free bags ,
she says ,
but it makes sense from a socio - economic view . the backpack is practical and mobile .
it is also unisex , a crucial element ; in china , for example , one of the first markets to embrace mcm backpacks ,
more men are buying luxury than women
.
mcm ' s rapid growth in the asian market thrills kim , but she emphasizes that she wishes to keep the growth moving at a manageable pace . qualitative , not quantitative growth remains her mission .
i told my team , ' slow down a little bit , it ' s a bit too fast , because a small company running on a global scale , competing with the global giants is not an easy job . now , it ' s time to grow more sustainably . it ' s a dynamic brand , we have mileage to expand .
this entrepreneur ' s back - story is also intriguing , and not only in her strength of character in breaking the glass ceiling in a way that initially shocked her family but ultimately impressed them . rather , i was fascinated that she had worked at gucci when , in her own words ,
they turned around from being such a traditional italian company to being the most edgy , chic and modern brand
. the fact that she had also worked with the late marvin traub , the legendary retail impresario of new york store bloomingdale ' s , is another clue to mcm ' s retail success .
youth - sweeping trends are nothing new , but mcm ' s ubiquity is surprising given that its prices veer so far beyond student - loan territory – think £380 for a small messenger bag , £530 for a roomier tote and , at the top of the line , £1 , 735 or even £3 , 135 for a limited edition snakeskin backpack . beyond in - the - know fashion and streetwear circles , most uk consumers are unfamiliar with the brand . this is a tricky proposition in luxury leather goods , a market built on heritage ; whether it ' s louis vuitton equipping the maharajas with travelling trunks in the 1920s or grace kelly using hermès bags as a shield from paparazzi in the 1950s , history and narrative are everything .
at the heart of our products is our craftsmanship : a heritage and tradition that unites hundreds of years of excellence in german manufacturing and engineering design . every piece we make is the work of fine craftsmen and women who assemble each element and item with the utmost care and attention to detail . we ensure that our products are crafted by the most knowledgeable and skilled of artisans to meet the same rigorous quality standards we established decades ago . mcm ' s unparalleled commitment to perfection , paired with the finest in fabrics , leathers , materials and finishings create pieces that will stay with you over generations . and while we look to our heritage for technique , we continue to innovate for the future , infusing cutting edge technology with fresh design—the perfect evolution between of the old school and the new .
back in south korea , kim started her own business licensing luxury designer brands for the korean market , including sonia rykiel , yves saint laurent , gucci , and mcm , as well as british retailer marks & spencer . she credits the 1988 seoul olympics for stirring the interest of western luxury brand retailers in asian markets . though interest and demand were present , she recalls the difficulty of setting up a business in seoul in the eighties .
i had only a telephone and a desk . financing micro - businesses in korea , especially toward women , was nonexistent at that time . no bank wanted to lend me money ,
she explains . however , through a negotiated joint venture between american businessmen and her father , and a family reconciliation , she secured a loan from her father . when asked what could be done to aid her , she replied ,
lend me money , because no banks want to lend me money .
the brand , founded in munich in 1976 and known for its colorful $ 700 studded canvas backpacks , plans to expand in markets such as japan and europe and is looking to open outlets in major shopping hotspots including paris , kim told reuters .
we have not even explored the japanese market yet , we are just starting there ,
she said in an interview on the fringes of the conde nast luxury conference in seoul .
its collection is also heavily loaded with logo - embossed products , whereas many brands such as prada and gucci have recently been selling more logo - free items .
asked whether she would consider taking the company public , kim said she was not interested .
money dictates money , i ' m ( a ) more value - driven person ,
she said .
its sales grew about 14 - 15 percent at constant currency in 2015 , and kim expected them to grow about 20 percent in 2016 .
the youngest daughter of south korean magnate kim soo - keon , kim built her businesses from scratch . she gained experience in luxury working for us department store bloomingdale ' s and developing gucci ' s south korean business .
kim , who champions women ' s rights and is head of south korea ' s red cross , said luxury shoppers were embracing mobile e - commerce and estimated that within five years , 15 to 20 percent of the brand ' s total sales could be generated online .
site map © 2018 the business of fashion . all rights reserved . for more information read our terms & conditions and privacy policy .
your browsers javascript functionality is turned off . please turn it on so that you can experience the full capabilities of this site .
today our house codes are reborn in berlin , germany’s engine for fashion & visual culture . from german expressionism and the birth of bauhaus to politico - punk and industrial techno , the capital has been celebrated as a bohemian refuge , where creativity is defined by volatility and the underground meets the mainstream . berlin today is a city in perpetual flux , representing freedom , innovation and multiculturalism whose ability to reinvent itself can be attributed to its diverse history .
glassdoor will not work properly unless browser cookie support is enabled . learn how to enable cookies .
your trust is our top concern , so companies can ' t alter or remove reviews .
please provide a better working environment for your team . as well as a fresh new uniform . last but not least . this employee discount needs to go up . . .
take the time really review who you hire . i agree with most of the post . management is so worried about gossiping and being friends they can ' t run the store properly . stop creating a negative environment and then blaming others . stop showing favoritism towards certain members of your staff . stop helping certain employees make their goals by giving them sales . stop changing or breaking rules and when it goes bag , blame the management team under you . stop gossiping about members of your staff when they are not around and expect those people to respect you or the person your talking about . and be open to listen to someone else ' s voice other than your own all the time .
there ' s lots of opportunities to learn and grow as an entry level worker . the work is very hands on in a fast - paced environment , which forces you to catch on quickly and find efficient ways of working . although you can feel overloaded at times , you can gain twice the amount of work experience compared to working at other companies . company benefits are nice too , with free coffee and lunch at the cafeteria .
the korean top - down work culture can be difficult to accept and adjust to if you come from abroad . internal processes are often inefficient and rigid , and some leaders often abuse their authority . some examples of this culture / abuse of power include , not being able to leave work until your boss leaves , not being transparent with the team and withholding key information for personal gain , unnecessary overtime , etc .
overall team management needs improvement , with more leaders who care about creating a healthy , collaborative team environment and looking out for the well being and growth of his / her team . i think my experience would ' ve been more positive if more leaders helped motivate individuals to achieve their own career goals and strive to guide them along the way .
you need to be president friend or used to work at the same company to move up , without that u will never get a promotion ! also , u can do whatever u want if u are friend with president , e . g . never show up at work , bill the company for family vacation , being drunk at work everyday , etc
too many to list . no communication , no teamwork , very toxic environment with infighting across corporate and store teams . very high turnover due to shocking interpersonal relationships . hr is not at all educated or skilled with criteria necessary for job .
develop a culture , provide some support , share information . don’t blame , end cronyism , be fair across the board .
they ' re trying out a lot of cool , new things esp . with marketing initiatives
many people i started with have left some very good talented people especially in management . not good they offered a lot
take care of your people you say you do but you really don ' t words are spoken actions speak a lot louder .
you don ' t know everything . take the time to listen to others opinions
this will replace the current featured review for targeted profile . are you sure you want to replace it ?
copyright © 2008–2018 , glassdoor , inc .
glassdoor
and logo are proprietary trademarks of glassdoor , inc .
post your job listing on glassdoor to a community of over 20 - million career - minded candidates .
upload a resume to easily apply to jobs from anywhere . it ' s simple to set up .
glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information , company reviews , and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job that’s right for you .
know your worth™ . get a free , personalized salary estimate based on today ' s job market .
12 days accrued vacation per year , i believe you get 5 personal and 5 sick days , 401k matches 4 % and the 1 % every 2 % you put down after 5 .
great company match , pto needs help , great holidays and health is very good .
list based on reports from current and former employees . it may not be complete .
he words
designer handbag
conjure up a certain image : a moneyed parisian sitting in a 6th arrondissement cafe with a chanel 2 . 55 , perhaps , or a celebrity striding through los angeles airport with a
still , kim does not see the brand as south korean or asian , but as resolutely german . she points out that design and production are mainly run from germany and italy , and that many other brands perceived as european – from mulberry to escada – happen to be owned by asian companies .
all the major brands may have some asian elements coming in , even chanel , especially gucci , with gold , crystals , white and colour . they know their growing customers are rich asians and russians ,
she says ; designs are becoming more globalised .
this article contains affiliate links , which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase . all our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative . the links are powered by skimlinks . by clicking on an affiliate link , you accept that skimlinks cookies will be set . more information .
© 2018 guardian news and media limited or its affiliated companies . all rights reserved .
welcome to british vogue . this site uses cookies to improve your experience and deliver personalised advertising . you can opt out at any time or find out more by reading our cookie policy .
anyone who can take a fading german travel - bag business ( originally michael cromer munich ) and turn it into a thriving accessories company grounded in seoul , but sold across the world , deserves respect .
the fashion tycoon ' s other day jobs include being president of her country ' s branch of the red cross . and on her office wall , with its panoramic views across the re - constructed city , ringed by mountains , there is a citation from 2015 by queen elizabeth ii declaring sung - joo kim an honorary officer of the order of the british empire for services to humanity .
to have a powerful business position and a strong sense of corporate responsibility is exceptional . to reach this position as a woman , in a country where her own father originally rejected her strong , independent stance , is an impressive achievement .
before i had time to absorb the 3 - d graphics and fashion - as - theatre vision from the beijing show , the screen was filled with a video of exo - asia ' s top boy band . when the k - pop stars made an appearance at a recent opening of a seoul store , 11 , 000 fans showed up , sung - joo kim said .
we had a lot of fun shooting this series ! it ' s because in asia the young generation tends to lead the luxury market . they are very exposed , firstly from the internet , to what ' s going on with all the brands . secondly , they are very brand conscious . they are born with a computer and the way they relate to luxury is so different from the traditional way .
on my visit , the shelves of the seoul store had some swarovski bling and bold logos , but the merchandise has certainly developed since sung - joo kim , the long - term license holder , bought the brand in 2005 when its total annual sales were around $ 70 million . a decade on , i was looking at cute , make - you - smile bags that suggested robots , bug - eyed insects and rabbits . but there were also smooth , plain bags in sleek céline and ysl style . they were the fruit of a newly established production base in italy , expanding the reach of a brand whose sales rose to $ 650 million in 2014 through 300 stores in 35 countries .
this seemed in stark contrast to the story that sung - joo kim was telling me , about how she convinced harrods , london ' s classic department store , to stock unisex , luxury backpacks as intrinsic to practical modernity .
it ' s streetwear and high - end ; luxury and kitsch ,
she said of the brand ' s offering .
even though we will need to adjust our marketing and product offer , we are reviewing our collection because of the great success we are having in america ,
sung - joo said .
we launched our e - commerce in america in february and it is doing very well . we are learning a lot because communication with the final customer provides a lot of information to fine - tune our offers and make them even stronger .
i felt exhilarated by sung - joo kim ' s enthusiasm and the sense that this was a brand with a fresh , youthful take , in spite of its germanic roots and the fact that most of the bags ' decoration - such as the fendi - style furry characters - looked familiar .
than any other dna test no one else connects you to as many places in the world or more living relatives around it .
a family tree takes you back generations—the world’s largest collection of online records makes it possible .
only ancestry combines dna results and the largest collection of records for the best insight into your genealogy and origins .
“we were able to make contact and meet biological relatives through our dna . ” - kelsynielson
“ancestrydna made the impossible , possible in my life . ” - sandra r .
“it’s been a lot of fun doing the investigation and waiting for the results . ” - john h .
“i am amazed . thank you , ancestry , for opening the door to a wonderful future . ” - angelica e .
“ancestry has helped us be the big , beautiful family we were always meant to be . ” - shannon m .
“it ' s amazing what our ancestry reveals about who we are . ” - officialmykell
real customers share what they discovered—and how it changed their lives . you could be next .
your privacy is important to us . we use industry standard security practices to store your dna sample , your dna test results , and other personal data you provide to us . in addition , we store your dna test results and dna sample without your name or other common identifying information . you own your dna data . at any time , you can choose to download raw dna data , have us delete your dna test results as described in the ancestrydna privacy statement , or have us destroy your physical dna saliva sample . we do not share with third parties your name or other common identifying information linked to your genetic data , except as legally required or with your explicit consent .
ancestrydna is a cutting edge dna testing service that utilizes some of the latest autosomal testing technology to revolutionize the way you discover your family history . this service combines advanced dna science with the world ' s largest online family history resource to predict your genetic ethnicity and help you find new family connections . it maps ethnicity going back multiple generations and provides insight into such possibilities as : what region of europe are my ancestors from , or am i likely to have east asian heritage ? ancestrydna can also help identify relationships with unknown relatives through a dynamic list of dna matches .
your ancestrydna results include information about your ethnicity across 350 regions and identifies potential relatives through dna matching to others who have taken the ancestrydna test . your results are a great starting point for more family history research , and it can also be a way to dig even deeper into the research you ' ve already done .
the ancestrydna test may predict if you are at least partly native american , which includes some tribes that are indigenous to north america , including the u . s . , canada and mexico . the results do not currently provide a specific tribal affiliation . ( please note that your ancestrydna ethnicity results cannot be used as a substitute for legal documentation . )
ancestrydna is a simple saliva test you can do in the comfort of your own home . once you order , you will receive the ancestrydna kit in the mail in a matter of days . your ancestrydna kit includes full instructions , a saliva collection tube , and a pre - paid return mailer ( so you don ' t have additional costs to return your dna . ) after returning your sample by just dropping it in the mail , your dna is processed at the lab . you then receive an email notifying you that your results are ready to explore on the ancestrydna website .
there are many paths to finding your family story . whichever way you choose—tracing your family generations back with a family tree or uncovering your ethnicity with ancestrydna—we ' ll be here to help you .
headquartering a global brand in asia was considered a handicap before , but suddenly it became a strength . the plan was to emphasise the brand’s german heritage and italian craftsmanship while maximising its popularity in asia , especially korea and china .
sjk : in the middle of the 1990s , our price point was higher than louis vuitton and we were positioned in a top luxury tier . because the korean business started with licensed product we had more affordable prices , but that doesn’t mean we are positioning ourselves with
sjk : china is interesting in that it’s different from japan , korea and even the rest of asia . the chinese have a very independent mind - set . defining our customer profile has been interesting because they are not rich , poor or middle class — it’s about the emerging global nomad . it’s doesn’t just appeal to the young generation , but young - minded people .
at the moment our major product group is backpacks . when we made the backpack into a luxury product people thought it was outrageous — but this really portrays this new lifestyle we are creating . it’s also unique in that both men and women can carry it .
sjk : globally , logos are no longer a status symbol , so we plan to minimise the logo and create what i call ‘brand art’ . we approach the logo from a new perspective — pop art is a big trend and the more serious the world is becoming , the more people like to be playful and dynamic , so our logo products will cater to them .
at the same time , we have to service the needs of professionals , so we can’t have logos everywhere . as such , we have built a production base and creative centre in italy , to allow us to tap into the best leather tanneries and production factories to produce top tier collections like our gold line . it’s priced much higher and is aimed at the more discerning customer looking for high quality .
sjk : china has so many different economies within one country , so we’ve had to learn how to cater to semi - mature , mature and infant markets , all under one economy . the trick is to keep a cohesive brand identity and to merchandise and cater to those specifics . it’s also vital to secure our top luxury positioning without compromising . the market grows so fast and so many new cities are emerging , with huge opportunities to set up points of sale in new malls . however , our strategy for growth is about quality rather than quantity . by next year we will have 40 boutiques in china , and that’s growing too fast .
sjk : for the past nine years we have witnessed tremendous growth every year — more than 30 to 40 per cent . in the korean travel market alone , which is worth 7 billion dollars , we just became one of the top three brands . we are bigger than chanel and second only to louis vuitton .
although asia is important , our international expansion is already underway . we have opened several stores in europe this year , including paris and germany , where we launched stores in munich , frankfurt and berlin . in america we distribute the line through luxury department stores like neiman marcus and
. we plan to open our soho store in new york this december and launch our global e - commerce out of new york next year . more stores will follow in key us cities .
when we have set up in key locations , it will be time to consolidate our management , infrastructure and quality of production in italy , while building a global team out of germany .
sjk : i want people to know that we are not just a european brand , but a truly global brand . as a brand owner i have always wanted to make social responsibility one of our core values : it’s not just about growing , but serving every market and society that we go into . i hope the spirit of the brand also carries a message of sharing in society . it’s all about balancing exclusivity , high quality design and craftsmanship , while still creating an aura of inclusiveness .
the entire world is watching fashion . so what do we want them to know ?
for global fashionistas , and those admittedly less chic ,
luxury fashion goods
evoke images of monogrammed logos designed by european fashion houses , most of which have been , and still are , headed by european men . thus , sung - joo kim ' s acquisition of german luxury brand modern creation munich was both a surprise and a break from the norm for the fashion world .
the company recorded sales of slightly less than $ 70 million in 2005 , the year it was acquired by kim . it is now active in 35 countries with 365 stores , and generated sales of over $ 500 million in 2014 . with thirty years of entrepreneurship and business savvy under her belt , kim was recently invited to join a select group of leaders at this year ' s world economic forum in davos at credit suisse ' s
women of impact dinner .
she shared the story of her success with us .
kim ' s appeal stems not only from her business sense , but also her personal narrative . though she was born into one of the richest families in south korea , she inherited none of her father ' s wealth . her father , a gas and energy tycoon , wished his daughters to marry prosperous men , not enter the realm of business . after her father ' s death , her brothers inherited billions ; she inherited nothing monetarily , but was gifted with his mind for business .
it seems kim was going to follow a different path from the start . she took a non - traditional route by leaving south korea as a teen to study at amherst college , the london school of economics , and harvard university . then , contrary to her family ' s traditional , confucian - prescribed way of life , she married her college sweetheart without her parents ' consent , which led to her immediate disinheritance . with no money for her tuition , she was forced to drop out of harvard after one year and obtain a job .
she secured a position as a project manager at the iconic bloomingdales department store in new york city , working under the mentorship of the company ' s
godfather of fashion
, chairman marvin traub . three years later , kim ' s drive and
cut - throat training
propelled her back to korea , taking with her all the knowledge of the fashion industry she had garnered at her time working in the luxury sector with bloomingdales .
she attests that the asian market today includes large numbers of young professionals who have
different needs and a new perception of luxury .
kim defines new school luxury as multi - dimensional : economic power moving from the west to the east , unisex , family money , and the dynamic , growing markets of china , japan , korea , and southeast asia . new luxury represents the
dynamism of the vital and youthful mindset
kim explains .
despite more than half a billion dollars in sales and a workforce that is 75 percent women , kim refuses to sit on her laurels .
as a brand owner i have always wanted to make social responsibility one of our core values . it ' s not just about growing , but serving every market and society that we go into . i hope the spirit of the brand also carries a message of sharing in society . it ' s all about balancing exclusivity , high quality design and craftsmanship , while still creating jobs and opportunities through inclusiveness .
entrepreneurs that run their own businesses are not the only people who demonstrate entrepreneurial thinking . many successful business leaders may not consider themselves to be entrepreneurs in the typical sense , yet clearly demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit in the way they think and behave as decision makers . understanding the motivations that drive this mindset can help everyone harness the power of such thinking and to make change happen in the world around them .
switzerland has always had a lot of entrepreneurs . small and medium - sized enterprises ( smes ) from switzerland are globally active and look beyond their borders to find customers , inspiration and growth . we asked some entrepreneurs for the secret to leading a swiss sme to success on the world stage and their thoughts on what swiss quality means to them .
private equity is evolving . as this asset class gets larger and more versatile , companies have a surprisingly diverse menu of private capital options when it comes to finding finance . as private equity evolves , what are the key trends changing the nature of the deal ?
copyright © 1997 - 2018 credit suisse group ag and / or its affiliates . all rights reserved .
you are about to change the origin country from where you are visiting credit - suisse . com .


mywot/wot ( web of trust ) is a browser add-on and web site .

wot is an online reputation and internet safety service , providing crowdsourced reviews and other data about whether websites respect user privacy , are secure , and other indicators of trust .

in november 2016 , a german state media investigation found that wot had secretly collected personal user details and sold or licensed this information to unidentified third-party businesses and entities for data monetization purposes .

this activity breached the privacy rules and guidelines set by several browsers .

as a result , the browser add-on was involuntarily removed from mozilla firefox 's add-on store , and voluntarily removed from other browsers ' add-on/extension stores .

wot was eventually reinstated .

wot services

wot wot services oy web of trust ? wot is not ! ratings not true to content . helsinki , finland
select a version wot ( web of trust ) for firefox 20150708 wot ( web of trust ) for firefox 20130915 wot ( web of trust ) for firefox 20130902 wot ( web of trust ) for firefox 20130515 wot ( web of trust ) for firefox 20120926 wot ( web of trust ) for firefox 20120827 wot ( web of trust ) for firefox 20120515 web of trust for firefox 20120302 web of trust for firefox 20120229 web of trust for firefox 20111107 web of trust for firefox 20110704 web of trust for firefox 20110323 web of trust for firefox 20100908 web of trust for firefox 20100823 web of trust for firefox 20100503 web of trust for firefox 20091028 wot for firefox 20090918 wot for firefox 20090728 wot for firefox 20090414 wot for firefox 20090325 wot for firefox 20081111 wot for firefox 20081020 wot for firefox 20080917 wot for firefox 20080811 wot for firefox 20080714 wot for firefox 20080519 wot for firefox 20080421 wot for firefox 20071203 wot for firefox 20080214 wot for firefox 20071203 wot for firefox 20071114 wot for firefox 20070501 wot for firefox 20070329 wot for firefox 20070226 wot for firefox 20070104 wot for firefox 20061215 wot for firefox 20061107 wot for firefox 2006 . 11 . 29 wot for firefox 20061107 wot for firefox 20060928 wot for firefox 20060928 wot for firefox 20081020
contact wot services ltd . vesa perälä chief executive officer e - mail : vesa ( at ) mywot ( dot ) com
you’re viewing a free company profile from the pitchbook platform . to explore wot services’s full profile , request a free trial .
docket for career network , inc . v . wot services , ltd . , 6 : 10 - cv - 01826 – urltoken
wot services oy urltoken ( safe browsing - web of trust ) mywot is a corrupted rating system - proofs available . helsinki , internet
wot services oy urltoken ( safe browsing - web of trust ) mywot is a corrupted rating system - proofs available . helsinki , internet
wot services has not issued a public statement since the ndr broadcast . we will update this article if it responds to our enquiries . ®
by installing any wot products and / or using any of the wot services , you consent to our collection , storage , use and sharing of your personal information and non - personal information in accordance with the terms of this privacy policy . if you do not accept the term of this privacy policy , please do not access or use the wot products or wot services .
based in helsinki , finland , wot services ltd . ( formally known as against intuition , inc . ) was founded in 2006 by two graduate students : timo ala - kleemola and sami tolvanen . wot services focuses on developing and providing software and services for the wot community and on promoting the community ' s goals . in february , 2009 , michael
monty
widenius , founder of mysql and a guru for the global open source movement invested in wot . the finnish industry investment ltd . is an existing shareholder .
you agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for the new york times ' s products and services .
informative post to make aware about the difference between iot & wot . many companies are shifting gears and trying to provide services like integrating all their connected devices in one app no matter if they are connected to even one single cloud . wot can help the users very much effectively and some companies like volansys which also provide iot services .
corporate disclosure statement by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . ( zaffuto , warren ) modified on 12 / 13 / 2010 ( sr ) .
certificate of interested persons and corporate disclosure statement re [ 6 ] interested persons order by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . ( zaffuto , warren )
wot services , ltd is a finnish company that runs the partly crowdsourced internet website reputation rating tool web of trust ( wot ) . the installed wot browser add - on shows its users the reputations of websites , which are calculated through a combination of user ratings and data from other sources .
can provide services such as privacy filtering or sub - setting . when the user is home , they can also access the
ask to the users if they want to share data with third party services before doing it without our permission and feelingly .
the implementation of a thing may access local hardware or system services ( e . g . storage ) through proprietary apis or other means . this block is out of scope of wot standardization .
ten internet companies based in florida have filed a lawsuit against wot services , the provider of safe surfing tool web of trust . the companies are requesting wot to remove ratings and comments related to them and have accused wot of defamation , violating rights , conspiracy and manipulating algorithms . wot believes the case is baseless and has suggested dismissing the case in the court of justice in florida .
memorandum in opposition re [ 14 ] motion to remand filed by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . ( attachments : # ( 1 ) exhibit a ) ( zaffuto , warren )
wot services , ltd is a finnish company that runs the partly crowdsourced internet website reputation rating tool wot ( web of trust ) . the installed wot browser add - on , available for firefox , google chrome and internet explorer , shows its users the reputations of websites , which are calculated through a combination of user ratings and data from other sources . to generate revenue wot licenses the use of its reputation database to other businesses .
response in opposition re [ 15 ] motion to substitute party defendants filed by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . ( attachments : # ( 1 ) exhibit a ) ( zaffuto , warren )
the wot runtime implementation for the wot scripting api must have mechanisms to prevent malicious access to the system and isolate scripts in multi - tenant servients .
like angie ' s list and other reputation services , wot is powered by individuals with real - world experiences to share . wot for firefox places wot ' s trust meter between firefox ' s address bar and search bar for instantaneous feedback about the web sites you visit . it turns from green to yellow to red as the danger increases and displays site ratings when you click it . you can also share your experiences and views through your free wot account and social media options .
while browsers like google chrome , opera and firefox have already removed wot from their stores , the android app wot handyschutz is still available in the play store .
tip for consumers : rate any site that you had an experience with good , bad , or neutral . use wot wiki urltoken to know how wot works , and most of all don ' t get it confused with wot . com .
we welcome your feedback via email to public - wot - wg @ urltoken .
this section will likely undergo significant revision and reorganization . please see the wot security and privacy repository for work in progress . in particular , the wot threat model defines the main wot security stakeholders , assets , attack surfaces , and threats .
a wot fire & security designed a cctv solution covering a 67 acre site .
earlier in november , a report out of germany claimed the popular web of trust ( wot ) browser add - on was selling its users’ browser histories to third - parties without properly anonymizing the data , resulting in the personal identification of web of trust users . there was also some debate over whether the company behind wot ( wot services ) properly informed its users of data collection actions performed by the extension .
wot . dll is loaded as internet explorer toolbar with the name ' wot ' with the class of { 71576546 - 354d - 41c9 - aae8 - 31f2ec22bf0d } .
wot . dll installs an ie web browser in internet explorer named ' wot ' with a class of { 71576546 - 354d - 41c9 - aae8 - 31f2ec22bf0d } .
there are a wide variety of physical device configurations for wot implementations . the wot abstract architecture should be able to be mapped to and cover all of the variations .
visitors to greece should be aware of the possibility that banking services – including credit card processing and servicing of atms – throughout greece could potentially become limited at short notice .
by signing up , i agree to the wot terms of service and privacy policy .
shows a conceptional view of how a component in the wot architecture makes use of the wot building blocks . each block is described in more detail in the following sections .
wot client discovers servient remotely when the remote controller is outside [ remote discovery ] .
the wot community consists of millions of web users that detect and report alleged scam sites effectively and quickly . wot reputation ratings are updated every 30 minutes , thus spreading the word and shortening the life cycle of scam sites significantly . consequently , those owning websites meant to cheat people have to invest more money for new domains , sites and services .
the easiest way to contact wot is to click on a relevant link in the right - hand column . to talk with other wot community members , please use our forum .
as with many free services created by a private company , wot needed a way to make money . the way wot chose to do this was by collecting usage data from its users ( browsing history in this case ) , anonymizing it ( or at least claiming to ) , and then selling that usage data to firms looking to analyze large data sets .
safeboost is team of professional world of tanks players who offer wide array of online gaming services : power leveling , farming , grinding , stat raising , boosting , leveling and more .
the wot thing description ( td ) provides a formal mechanism to describe the network interface provided by iot devices and services , independent of their implementation . provision of a td is the primary requirement for a device to participate in the web of things . in fact , defining a thing description for an existing device allows that device to participate in the web of things without having to make any modifications to the device itself . wot binding templates define how a wot device communicates using a concrete protocol . the wot scripting api—whose use is not mandatory—provides a convenient mechanism to discover , consume , and expose things based on the wot thing description .
to find out more about the technicalities of how wot works and how to use it , take a tour and check out our frequently asked questions . welcome to the wot community !
wot brings transparency to the web and makes it more difficult for scam sites to operate .
wot uses two categories to determine what they consider to be the reputation of a website .
this section defines the properties required in an abstract web of things ( wot ) architecture .
the standardized wot scripting api is the contract between applications and the runtime system of a servient , the so - called wot runtime . the wot scripting api is equivalent to any platform api , and hence there must be mechanisms to prevent malicious access to the system . as mentioned above , this building block , including the underlying wot runtime implementation , is optional .
wot client discovers an electronic appliance when the remote controller is nearby [ nearby discovery ] .
a wot fire & security solution , providing access control across a large multiple site university .
a wot runtime may provide local hardware or system services to application scripts through the thing abstraction , as if they were accessible over a network protocol . in this case the implementation should be optimized to avoid the overhead that would be involved in a literal implementation of a network protocol while maintaining a consistent wot interface . the details of such
system things
are out of the scope of standardization at present , although w3c wot will document several informational examples .
unopposed motion to allow telephone conference to prepare case management report by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . ( zaffuto , warren ) motions referred to magistrate judge karla r . spaulding . * modified text on 1 / 25 / 2011 ( maa ) .
of these , the wot thing description is the primary building block , as it describes the network - facing interface of a thing ( wot interface ) , whether or not it uses wot binding templates or the wot scripting api internally . the implementation of wot binding templates results in multiple possible protocol bindings , so that a thing can communicate with different iot platforms ( i . e . , iot ecosystems or standards ) . when a thing uses the wot scripting api internally , its application logic can be programmed against a standardized contract using javascript . this way , it simplifies iot application development and enables portability across vendors and wot network components .
spiegel online reports that mozilla has already removed the wot extension from its firefox add - ons page due to guideline violations . it seems likely other software that supports wot will follow . anyone currently using the wot extension should seriously consider whether they wish to continue doing so . wot also has a mobile app , which won ' t be immune to this data collection .
we already have many existing iot solutions and ongoing iot standardization activities in many business fields . the wot should provide a bridge between these existing and developing iot solutions and web technology based on wot concepts . the wot should be upwards compatible with existing iot solutions and current standards .
running on the gateway . however , many service providers have already provided iot services using proprietary iot interfaces or some other iot standard . in this case , the gateway can still support the same functionalities , as in the previous case , but using methods outside of the wot definitions .
this section is an early outline to realize wot with the existing browser apis . more details and a native wot integration into the web browser will be added as the wg drafts progress .
i recommend web of trust ( wot ) to all my friends . it saves me a lot of trouble by giving me reputations of websites before i click on the links , and helps me avoid questionable or malicious websites . i prefer it over some of the other browser add - ons like avg and nortons website reputation services because wot seems to have ratings on more sites .
browser add - ons like site advisor and web of trust ( wot ) can help people searching the web determine whether the sites they are searching for have a nasty reputation . but such services do little to aid in flagging legitimate sites that were recently hacked and seeded with malicious software .
notice of pendency of related cases re [ 5 ] related case order and notice of designation of track 2 per local rule 1 . 04 ( d ) by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . related case ( s ) : yes ( zaffuto , warren )
last week , an investigative report by journalists at the hamburg - based german television broadcaster , norddeutscher rundfunk ( ndr ) , revealed that web of trust services ( wot ) had been harvesting netizens ' web browsing histories through its browser add - on and then selling them to third parties .
using wot , millions of web users from around the world rate websites according to their experiences , also exposing suspected rogue websites . wot users have pinned down more than five million untrustworthy websites .
an abstract architecture for the web of things and a functional architecture for servients has been introduced . it is based on wot building blocks , which are to be covered by additional wot specifications :
in addition to privacy protecting tools and ad blockers , a few other add - ons , utilities , and services came up while we were researching this piece that you shouldn’t roam the web without .
the installed wot browser add - on shows its users the reputations of websites , which are calculated through a combination of user ratings and data from other sources . the wot browser add - on does two things : ( 1 ) it sends user ratings to the wot site , and ( 2 ) it displays the computed results via color - coded icons in the user ' s browser tool - bar and next to external links on the pages of leading search engines , email services and social network sites .
wot . dll is installed in internet explorer as a bho ( browser helper object ) under the name ' wot helper ' with the class of { c920e44a - 7f78 - 4e64 - bdd7 - a57026e7feb7 } .
note that the wot scripting api building block is optional . there can be minimal servient implementations where applications are implemented natively for the software stack . these do not have the scripting api and wot runtime modules .
wot allows users to add their input on the trustworthiness , vendor reliability , privacy and / or child safety of a website based on their experience with the site and / or services they offer . the rating scale ranges from poor to excellent and is algorithmic . wot calculates the reputation of a website through a combination of user ratings and data from trusted sources such as hphosts legit script panda security , phishtank , and truste .
figure 4 – the web of things only deals with the highest osi layer ( 7 ) , which handles applications , services and data . working on such a high level of abstraction makes it possible to connect data and services from many devices regardless of the actual transport protocols used . in contrast , the internet of things does not advocate a particular application level protocol and is usually focusing on the lower layers of the osi stack .
rest is an architectural style for developing distributed applications and is the basis upon which the modern web is built . the essence of rest is to focus on creating loosely coupled services that can be easily reused , which is implemented using uris , http , and standardized media types . abstracting the services from their application - specific semantics thanks to a uniform interface ( http verbs and response codes ) makes it easy to build loosely coupled services as it provides a simple mechanism for clients to select the best possible representations for interactions . this makes the web the ideal substrate for building a “universal” architecture and application programming interface ( api ) to interact with things .
shows an example of a connected car . in this case , a gateway connects to car components through can and to the car navigation system through a proprietary interface . services running in the cloud collect data pushed from car components and analyze the data from multiple cars to determine traffic patterns . the gateway can also consume cloud services , in this case , to get traffic data and show it to the driver through the car navigation system .
using services such as ifttt or node - red , users can create small logical rules that mix real - world devices , such as sensors in their home with virtual services in the cloud for example an sms gateway or a weather forecast service . such applications are called physical mashups . you can learn the principles and tools that will allow you to create physical mashups on top of your things in our book , building the web of things .
the impact on you at home : if you ' re currently using wot in your browser , it ' s probably a good idea to manually uninstall it . wot believes the problem of non - anonymous data leakage to third parties affected only “a very small number of wot users . ” nevertheless , until wot has figured out how to correct this problem the add - on just isn’t worth the risk of having your data leaked to third parties .
follow the prompts . a progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove wot for internet explorer .
web _ of _ trust _ wot _ website _ reputation _ ratings - 20151208 - sm + fx . xpi
ceo of wot , vesa perälä , went on to comment “the court’s decision is a very important precedent for wot as it highlights the importance of freedom of speech also on the internet . unfortunately this view is not shared by all other countries and wot is facing other battles about its right to publish user’s opinions on its service . especially german courts easily censor negative but otherwise fully legit feedback by the means of preliminary injunctions issued without hearing wot . ”
there is widespread agreement on the huge potential for exploiting connected sensors and actuators , but such devices vary considerably in their capabilities and communication technologies . this makes it challenging to create services involving devices from different vendors and using different standards .
wot is and always has been about protecting users from dangerous sites and the threats they pose . after taking the wot add - on off the extension galleries for some much - needed upgrading we are happy to announce that we’re back with a strengthened product , team , and are fully dedicated to making wot the best and reliable security tool we can .
the case was brought up against wot by ten differenf companies , which were later found out to belong to mr . ayman el - difrawi . the companies wanted wot to remove the ratings and comments left by users against those websites .
wot rating icons this content has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion . you can comment on its removal .
wot for internet explorer 20090414 received a 5 star rating based on a june 10 , 2009 review by cnet staff .
wot is on the recommended add - ons rotation since july 2008 at mozilla ' s firefox add - ons website .
please contribute to this draft using the github issue feature of the wot architecture repository . for feedback on security and privacy considerations , please use the wot security and privacy issues , as they are cross - cutting over all our documents .
in 2009 mysql founder michael widenius invested in wot and became a member of the board of directors . [ 1 ]
the
web of things
( wot ) started as an academic initiative in the form of publications and , starting in 2010 , a yearly international workshop on the web of things . its goal is to improve interoperability as well as usability in the internet of things ( iot ) . with the increasing role of iot services using other web standards in commercial and industrial applications , the w3c chartered an interest group in 2015 to identify technological building blocks for recommendation track standardization . with the wot working group chartered end of 2016 , the first set of wot building blocks is now being standardized :
unopposed motion for sandra a . jeskie to appear pro hac vice by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . ( attachments : # ( 1 ) exhibit a - - affidavit of sandra a . jeskie in support of unopposed motion to appear pro hac vice ) ( zaffuto , warren ) motions referred to magistrate judge karla r . spaulding .
the w3c web of things ( wot ) is intended to enable interoperability across iot platforms and application domains . primarily , it provides mechanisms to formally describe iot interfaces to allow iot devices and services to communicate with each other , independent of their underlying implementation , and across multiple networking protocols . secondarily , it provides a standardized way to define and program iot behavior .
as a result of ndr’s discoveries wot says it is conducting a “full security assessment and review” and will overhaul the company’s “data ‘cleaning’ process” for anonymizing usage data sold to third parties . you can check out wot’s full statement on its user forums .
the web of things seeks to reduce the costs and risks for developing such services through an object oriented approach in which devices are exposed to applications as things with properties , actions and events , decoupling developers from the details of the underlying communication standards .
it only takes a few seconds to add wot to your browser and rate a website to protect yourself and all other wot users from online threats that anti - virus software can’t spot . together we can make the internet a safer place for everyone .
my
dead
wot add - on re - enabled itself on chrome yesterday and is now back in the chrome store .
a few month ago , the partners of the compose european projects also active in the wot ig were asked to reflect on the experiences implementing large interoperable iot ecosystems and to produce a technical recommendation for the wot ig / wg showing the way towards standardization .
comments regarding this document are welcome . please send them to public - wot - wg @ urltoken ( subscribe , archives ) .
the wot scripting api needs to be added by a wot library loaded together with the application scripts by the web page . this library would also implement td handling ( i . e . , parsing for consuming things and generating for exposing things ) and provide glue code to use the browser apis . the other aspects of the wot runtime are provided by the browser javascript runtime system .
combining all aspects of security wot are able to offer a fully integrated and managed security solution , using physical and software integration .
interested persons order to plaintiffs and defendants wot services , ltd . and against intuition , inc . certificate of interested persons and corporate disclosure statement due within 14 days . signed by judge gregory a . presnell on 12 / 10 / 2010 . copies mailed . ( lam ) modified on 12 / 10 / 2010 ( lam ) . modified on 12 / 13 / 2010 ( sr ) .
order granting [ 11 ] motion to appear pro hac vice . sandra a . jeskie , esq . , may specially appear in this case as counsel for defendants wot services , inc . and against intuition , inc . with warren d . zaffuto , esq . , serving as local counsel . signed by magistrate judge karla r . spaulding on 12 / 29 / 2010 . ( ecj )
as well as bringing suit against the founders and ceo of wot , wot community members “john and jane does 1 - 100” are named in the document for alleged malicious , willful and intentional defamation . wot hosts a site forum , which allows members to post comments and discuss website ratings , security and online safety . the wot forum was used to discuss reports that difrawi’s websites are “phishing” scams , whereby the websites attempt to acquire sensitive personal information by pretending to be a trustworthy entity . difrawi ' s lawsuit contends that all defamatory postings are based on these forum comments and wants wot to remove all postings related to career network and collect damages .
the web of things ( wot ) is a term used to describe approaches , software architectural styles and programming patterns that allow everyday items to be part of the world wide web . fundamentally , the purpose of the wot is to standardise the use of web technologies to accelerate the creation of applications and services on top of the internet of things . the concept of the wot is currently being explored by an international group of researchers from industry ( including nominet uk ) and academia as part of a w3c interest group . the group has recently met during their first face - to - face meeting that took place in munich , germany in april 2015 .
the ndr investigation discovered that while you have the wot extension installed , extensive data collection is going on in the background . but wot not only collects and records data on a per - user basis , it then analyzes and sells it on to third parties .
i am upset with the selling of data allegations . my question for the my wot community , is how do we know that these accusations are true ? they came from some german media firm and wikipedia . and as we know , wikipedia’s data can be changed over time and at any time . i trusted wot for many years . however , i rely more on the help my wot provides on the safety of websites over privacy issues . my take is that if wot can sell some of your data to third parties , this should have been made clear in the wot user agreement during the installation of the plug - in and was not mentioned .
we are now preparing to relaunch an updated version of wot which will include the appropriate measures to regain the trust of our users .
we take a professional approach to the installation of wot intruder alarms , ranging from bells only to fully monitored and maintained alarm system .
customer launch commitments for the 787 - 10 include air lease corporation , with thirty airplanes ; ge capital aviation services , with ten ; international airlines group / british airways , with twelve subject to shareholder approval ; singapore airlines , with thirty and united airlines , with twenty airplanes .
if your web browser homepage and search settings have been modfied by wot for internet explorer you can restore them to their previous default settings .
things provide a network - facing api for interaction ( wot interface ) based on a formal model . these wot interfaces are a superset of web apis , as things can also be available over non - web protocols such as mqtt or zigbee . the outward - facing wot interface is not to be confused with the scripting api , which is optional and interfaces with application scripts inside the software stack of a thing .
notice of removal filed by wot services , ltd . against medialogic , inc . , three stars media , inc . , buzzgrub , inc . , monkeyjar , inc . , internetcompany , inc . , career network , inc . , power applications , inc . , three stars , inc . ( filing fee $ 350 receipt number 37152 ) . ( attachments : # ( 1 ) civil cover sheet ) ( sr ) .
while wot hands over the users’ data in an anonymized form , it can be severely critical . as per the analysis reported by rob , security technology student and amo editor working on firefox webextensions , wot can also steal the banking credentials of the users besides installing a malware in their system .
wot for firefox runs not only in firefox but also firefox - based browsers ; even 64 - bit cyberfox . during the setup process , we could sign in or create an account , which enables feedback and social features . but you don ' t have to sign up for wot ; it works just fine without an account , as we verified . signing up for a free wot account is easy , though , ( you can do it through facebook ) and minimally intrusive . clicking mywot opened our account page . we could access wot ' s settings from the icon ' s menu or from firefox ' s add - ons page . setup finished with a guided tour of wot ' s features , but more support options are available .
instantly know which websites to trust ! wot protects you while you browse , warning you against dangerous sites that host malware , phishing , and more .
“using preliminary injunctions web sites and companies try to force wot to delete comments and ratings they feel are not favorable for their business . wot has no plans to voluntarily delete legit user feedback from the service and will take whatever necessary steps to ensure it can operate freely also in the future . ”
it sounds like a clever way to check whether your favorie sites visit can be trusted . however , the wot service itself is far from trustworthy .
or , you can uninstall wot for internet explorer from your computer by using the add / remove program feature in the window ' s control panel .
security is a cross - cutting issue that needs to be taken into account in all wot building blocks . the w3c wot does not define any new security mechanisms , but provides guidelines to apply the best practices from web security , iot security , and information security for general software and hardware considerations .
besides this historical event for w3c wot , santa clara also had an excellent openday with ( among other ) valuable input from the json schema and json - ld 1 . 1 authors , interesting experiences from wot implementors , and inspiring talks by physical web creator scott jenson as well as hp fellow bruce fleming .
at wot we are able to provide physical or electronic master key or key suiting solutions for high end properties , businesses , educational establishments and healthcare operators .
the functional wot architecture should enable the use of best practices in security and privacy . generally , the wot security architecture must support the goals and mechanisms of the iot protocols and systems it connects to . these systems vary in their security requirements and risk tolerance , so security mechanisms will also vary based on these factors . however , the wot architecture needs to do no harm : it should support security and privacy at least as well as the systems it connects to .
figure 5 – the web of things is the ability to use modern web standards directly on embedded devices . by leveraging all these standards for iot scenarios , we both enable new types of interactive applications to be built , and also make sure that devices can be integrated with modern web applications and services with minimal effort .
we’ve just released a new version of wot on the chrome extension gallery which already has several major code updates in order to protect our users privacy and an opt - out option from the user settings , for users who do not wish to share data with us but still want to have easy access to wot .
wot claimed it anonymised the data that it sold but the journalists were able to identify more than 50 users from the sample data it acquired from an intermediary .
this document uses the following terms as defined here . the wot prefix is used to avoid ambiguity for terms that are defined specifically for web of things concepts .
this section presents the initial wot building blocks that build up the abstract architecture for the web of things . this architecture is derived from the use cases in section
web of trust ( wot ) is a website reputation and review service that helps people make informed decisions about whether to trust a website or not . wot is based on a unique crowdsourcing approach that collects ratings and reviews from a global community of millions of users who rate and comment on websites based on their personal experiences .
notice of removal ( defendants wot services , ltd . and against intuition inc . ' s amended notice of removal ) from ninth judicial district in and for orange county , florida , case number 2010 - ca - 022724 - o filed in state court on 10 / 7 / 2010 . filing fee $ 350 , receipt number 37152 filed by against intuition , inc . , wot services , ltd . . ( attachments : # ( 1 ) exhibit a ( part 1 of 7 ) , # ( 2 ) exhibit a ( part 2 of 7 ) , # ( 3 ) exhibit a ( part 3 of 7 ) , # ( 4 ) exhibit a ( part 4 of 7 ) , # ( 5 ) exhibit a ( part 5 of 7 ) , # ( 6 ) exhibit a ( part 6 of 7 ) , # ( 7 ) exhibit a ( part 7 of 7 ) ) ( zaffuto , warren ) modified on 12 / 13 / 2010 ( sr ) .
a simplistic view of the subject that wot concept is more on asking information over a network and iot is creating a network or connecting numbers of unconnected devices previously .
ndr quoted the data protection commissioner of hamburg , johannes caspar , criticising wot for not adequately establishing whether users consented to the tracking and selling of their browsing data .
the wot thing description must be used together with integrity protection mechanisms and access control policies . users must ensure that no sensitive information is included in the tds themselves .
wot was founded in 2006 by sami tolvanen and timo ala - kleemola , who wrote the wot software as post - graduates at the tampere university of technology in finland . they launched the service officially in 2007 , with serial entrepreneur and angel investor esa suurio as ceo . in november 2009 suurio moved on to his next endeavor .
the add - on sends user ratings to the wot site , and it determines how the computed results are displayed , depending on user ' s settings . for instance , when visiting a poorly rated site , a warning screen may pop up , or only a red icon in the user ' s browser tool - bar is shown . color - coded icons are also shown next to external links on the pages of leading search engines , on email services , on social network sites , and on wikipedia .
figure 3 – in the iot , hundreds of incompatible protocols co - exist today . this makes the integration of data and services from various devices extremely complex and costly . in the web of things , any device can be accessed using standard web protocols . connecting heterogeneous devices to the web makes the integration across systems and applications much simpler .
additionally , wot reads your browser’s url and provides trustworthiness ratings on the web - page level . for example , individual twitter accounts and blogs that may have dubious content or links to different sites , some of which are malicious in nature . wot also works to understand which referring sites drive users to phishing / fraudulent sites , and how to prevent this from happening in the first place . for example , we do this in part by identifying ad networks involved in malware distribution and search terms that lead to malicious links . this browsing data is collected by wot , as described in our privacy policy and allows wot to predict new dangerous websites even before any user rates them .
in the web of things , devices and their services are fully integrated in the web because they use the same standards and techniques as traditional web sites . this means that you can write applications that interact with embedded devices in exactly the same way as you would interact with any other web service that uses web apis and in particular using restful architectures .
regarding the relaunch of wot – we received a notice from the mozilla store that they were removing our add - on from the store pending answers to certain questions . we decided to remove wot from the other platforms at our own initiative so that we could have the time to study the feedback we have been receiving and to make appropriate changes .
there can be things , however , that do not provide a wot interface and only consist of metadata that is relevant to the application ( e . g . , the room in which devices are located ) . in w3c wot however , a thing must have a thing description ; therefore , everything that has a thing description is a thing .
i am enjoying the slow process of implementing this as open source software , since being able to show people working examples is much more compelling than a slide presentation . my hope is that we can enable a thriving market of apps and services based upon open standards that lower the costs for integration across platforms and in doing so greatly expand the market potential .
we are excited to introduce some exciting new features and changes to wot from a product standpoint as well as a focus standpoint . the threats of today have shifted from what they were 10 years ago when we first launched , and it’s time to adapt . wot is the natural fit in every user’s security suite next to an antivirus , as it protects users from threats that only the human eye can spot . you , our dedicated community , have powered wot for more than a decade , and we’re proud to serve you .
from wot’s privacy policy : “opt out rights even after providing your consent to this privacy policy , you are entitled to change your mind . if you do , you may opt out of the data collection and sharing process related to your wot app or extension , by changing the options selected in the “settings” menu , so that the “real - time protection” option is set to “off” . after you opt out , we will no longer collect and share your data in connection with your use of the wot app or extension . ”
web of trust ( wot ) is a community - powered surfing tool that boosts trust on the internet , by using authentic user experiences to help web users find reliable websites . by means of a free wot add - on tool installed in the browser , internet users can discern the quality of websites that they are about to access in terms of trustworthiness , vendor reliability , privacy protection and suitability for children . with traffic - light style icons , wot shows the website’s reputation based on user evaluations and information from trustworthy sources . wot works with internet explorer , firefox , google chrome , safari and opera . the service has 18 million users around the world who have rated more than 31 million websites .
availability the add - on works with firefox on all platforms and internet explorer on windows . the user interface comes in 14 languages and a colorblind accessible version . with the apple safari browser running on ios5 on devices such as the apple ipad the wot bookmarklet can be used to display wot ratings for a given site in a pop - up window .
the spokesperson added that opera has
no information that the version of the wot extension in opera’s catalogue hasn’t been secure , however it’s no longer available for opera’s users
.
regardless , my wot has not been the same company since it’s foundation back in 2006 . the new team unfortunately has been slow to deal with updates and security issues such as these . my belief is that many of wot’s algorithm’s are relying on that old 2006 technology . hopefully , the next release will have the ability to opt - in to the ability to remove your my wot user data from any third party lists , and that these updates will meet the needs of more modern technologies and operating systems , such as windows 10 .
wot was a pretty good tool several years ago . i have been a member for many years . but now its very unreliable there are so many trolls and idiots that are members with multiple accounts that have the power to rate it makes wot quite useless , i dont use wot since a few years now . and as the saying goes you get what you pay for , which is nothing . i would advise anyone that takes security seriously to buy a internet security software suite from a well known anti virus software company . case closed
the thing abstraction and interaction model is implemented in a runtime system that offers the application - facing wot scripting api . this wot runtime interfaces with the protocol bindings to access remote things and with the system api to access local hardware and proprietary means for communication . note that both local hardware and devices behind proprietary communications protocols are also represented as things in the runtime environment , that is , they are also accessed through the client api . the wot runtime is also tasked with generating the thing description based on the servient metadata ( e . g . , location ) , application metadata ( e . g . , provided interactions ) , and available protocol bindings ( e . g . , implemented wot binding templates ) .
guys , i just got a firefox security warning about wot , recommending that i disable the ad - on . this is from that old suspicious german data situation . three questions :
i ' ve been using wot for years . it ' s so easy to use , unobtrusive . start using it ( there ' s not a good reason not to and plenty of reasons to ) , then spread the word . it works on a crowd - sourced model - the more people that contribute ratings for websites , the more powerful wot becomes .
ian is an independent writer based in israel who has never met a tech subject he didn ' t like . he primarily covers windows , pc and gaming hardware , video and music streaming services , social networks , and browsers . when he ' s not covering the news he ' s working on how - to tips for pc users , or tuning his egpu setup .
we are here to help you with anything for what you don’t have time for . we have been offering world of tanks service over two years and we have 100 % positive feedback , not a single unsatisfied customer , most of our customers return to order again . choose us and you will not regret it , you will receive high quality services within very short time frame .
today , wot is the world’s leading crowdsourced website reputation service with over 140 million downloads worldwide and collaborates with the world’s leading internet companies such as facebook and the mail . ru group .
wot might become a trustworthy service again in the future . but for now it’s probably best to stay away from this extensio—and maybe conduct an evaluation of all your browser add - ons .
my privacy horse bolted a long time ago and there is no easy way to get it back into the stable . so my privacy is less of a priority to me than my online safety . that ' s why i keep using wot . now , with their latest improvements , wot provides me with more privacy than before so i ' m glad they were exposed .
the relationship between the web thing model and the current wot ig work is pretty straightforward to understand . the integration patterns of the web thing model are similar to what the wot ig architecture document references . similarly , the model of things and other the model of other resources is discussed in the thing description which takes a very similar approach and terminology to the web thing model .
re - installed wot to opera from the chrome store , wot is still not listed in the opera add - ons pages so had to go that route . anyway , once installed i checked the new settings in wot for the opt in , opt out data sharing options . easy enough to find in the settings and accompanied by an updated privacy policy , which is here ; urltoken anyone using wot should read it , and from that draw your own conclusions as to whether you use / trust the extension . as for the opt out rights ; if you choose to opt out of real time protection then , according to the privacy policy , no more data will be collected or shared . but opting out of real time protection renders the extension virtually useless , it pretty much disables it . the toolbar icon is greyed out , no blocking red rated sites and there are no wot icons in search results . all you are left with is the ability to click the toolbar icon and open the wot ratings page for the site you ' ve landed on . bottom line , to me , is if you don ' t agree to having your data collected and shared by opting out of real time protection then you may as well not have the wot extension installed at all . just thought this was something that should be pointed out .