SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TRUSTe, the leading data privacy management company, today announced that its request for renewal as an Accountability Agent for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System has been unanimously approved by the 21 APEC Member Economies.  

The APEC CBPR System is a self-regulatory initiative that addresses cross-border data flows between APEC Member Economies through voluntary and enforceable codes of conduct adopted by participating businesses. As an Accountability Agent, TRUSTe will continue to review, certify, monitor and enforce the privacy practices of participating U.S.-based companies or subsidiaries to ensure compliance with the CBPR system. TRUSTe was approved as the first Accountability Agent for the APEC CBPR System in June 2013.

"As an Accountability Agent, TRUSTe plays a key role in continuing to support businesses in meeting global requirements for safe data transfer, while also ensuring that the customer's personal information is kept safe," said Chris Babel, CEO, TRUSTe. "The APEC program plays a big part in building trust in the data economy, while helping businesses expand internationally in compliance with established privacy regulations."

The APEC CBPR System allows companies to extend their international businesses, as many companies are choosing APEC Certification to demonstrate their commitment to customer privacy and ensure they transfer data around the world in a safe way that is in compliance with global privacy frameworks. Over 20 companies across a wide range of industries have completed or formally initiated efforts to pursue APEC Certification including IBM, Merck & Co., HP, Apple, and Box.

"Building up the Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system continues to be a high priority for us as we work to facilitate data flows and trade in APEC while providing for important privacy protections," said Ted Dean, U.S. Department of Commerce, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services. "The renewal of the first Accountability Agent, the growing list of companies that have been certified, and engagement from new Member Economies seeking to enter the system demonstrate the growing success of the system."

Currently three APEC Member Economies participate in the CBPR system, the United States, Mexico and Japan, with Canada expected to formally enter into the program soon.

For more information about the TRUSTe APEC program including the program requirements, visit http://www.truste.com/privacy-program-requirements/apec.

About TRUSTe

TRUSTe is the leading global Data Privacy Management (DPM) company and powers privacy compliance and trust by enabling businesses to safely collect and use customer data across their customer, employee, and vendor channels. Our SaaS-based DPM Platform gives users control over all phases of data privacy management from conducting assessments and implementing compliance controls to managing ongoing monitoring. Our DPM Services, including assessments and certifications, are delivered by an expert team of privacy professionals. Thousands of companies worldwide rely on TRUSTe to minimize compliance risk and protect their brand. http://www.truste.com.

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