TRUSTe App Puts Consumers In Control Of Online Ads

SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, TRUSTe announces the launch of the TRUSTe App, an innovative way for consumers to control the ads they want to see. Now, for the first time, people can manage their ad privacy preferences and tell advertisers the type of ads they want to see all from a simple user-friendly app. The launch follows months of field testing in which 9 out of 10 consumers chose not to opt out of targeted ads and instead to share their interests directly with advertisers in exchange for more relevant ads.

The TRUSTe App is an extension to TRUSTe's industry-leading advertising privacy compliance solution, TRUSTed Ads. Consumers can now choose to update their advertising privacy preferences directly from an ad via the AdChoices icon or they can download the TRUSTe App and manage and update their preferences and share their ad interests in a single place.

Later this month, as part of TRUSTe's ongoing commitment to help build trust and understanding of targeted advertising, the TRUSTe App will be enhanced to include an innovative Ad Relevance score. The score will let a user know how relevant their advertising experience is and how their choices impact their advertising experience. The more a consumer opts-out of interest-based ads the lower the Ad Relevance score; the more they share interests with advertisers the higher the Ad Relevance score.

Chris Babel, CEO of TRUSTe said:

"We love personalization, but it can feel creepy when after shopping online our purchases seems to follow us around the Internet for weeks on end. So far, the only choice has been to accept this or opt-out of targeted advertising altogether and be inundated with irrelevant ads.

The new TRUSTe App turns all this on its head. We're making it easier for people to choose whether to opt-in or opt-out of targeted ads and helping take it a step further so consumers can tell advertisers the type of ads they really want to see. Download the TRUSTe App today and create your own privacy safe, customized advertising experience."

Consumers already sharing interests with advertisers

In three months of field tests 90% of consumers chose to share their interests; of those consumers, 50% selected multiple interests, with 80% of them selecting both categories of interests they 'liked' and 'disliked'. The top five categories consumers chose to receive ads about were technology, games, news, travel and health. The five most common categories they chose not to receive ads about were dating, auto, career, finance and education.

About the TRUSTe App

The TRUSTe App is the most comprehensive advertising privacy app on the market today. The app allows users to choose to opt out of and back into targeted ads and tell advertisers the type of ads they want to see.

The TRUSTe App is available to download for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. TRUSTe is also available for Android smartphone and tablets at Google Play.

About TRUSTe

TRUSTe is the leading global Data Privacy Management (DPM) company and powers trust in the data economy by enabling businesses to safely collect and use customer data across web, mobile, cloud and advertising channels. Our cloud-based Data Privacy Management Platform delivers innovative technology products, including website monitoring and advertising compliance controls – along with privacy assessments and certifications. More than 5,000 companies worldwide rely on our DPM platform and globally recognized Certified Privacy Seal to protect/enhance their brand, drive user engagement and minimize compliance risk. For more information, please visit www.truste.com.

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SOURCE TRUSTe