It came out with its privacy seal in March. The 135 local BBBs in the U.S. give reliability seals to companies that meet their standard after a personal visit. Currently, about 3,000 businesses display the seals on their sites. The BBB's privacy seal has only 14 licensees so far, including Dell Computer Corp. and the credit bureau Equifax. But the BBB says several hundred companies have applied.
Businesses send a short application and the fee.
Applicants for the BBB seal will find no interactive guide to help them write one, just a sample they can use as a template. After you complete the questionnaire and submit your privacy statement, a BBB compliance staffer contacts you about changes. Like Truste, BBB does spot checks, but won't say how many per year. It will also revoke its seal for noncompliance. A key facet of both programs is dispute resolution.