GeoTrust, a provider of identity verification solutions for e-business and issuer of digital certificates for Web security, has today introduced the first trusted search service aimed at helping consumers avoid becoming victims of Web-based fraud, identity theft and phishing scams. The new service, TrustWatch Search, is available as a search box in GeoTrust's TrustWatch anti-phishing toolbar or as a destination search site.

The new search capability is powered by Ask Jeeves Search Technology, the unique algorithmic search technology that powers Ask.com and other leading Web sites. The TrustWatch Search site and upgraded TrustWatch toolbar are freely available at www.trustwatch.com.

The new TrustWatch Search is designed to help consumers determine the trustworthiness of Web sites before they decide to even visit a specific site, completely avoiding the exchange of confidential information, such as entering credit card information for online purchases or submitting personal data to get life insurance quotes with sites that are not deemed safe.

With TrustWatch Search, you simply enter queries and view green, yellow and red verification symbols beside each search result. Sites that can be verified by trusted third parties receive a green 'verified' rating; sites that have not been verified, but are not known to be fraudulent, receive a yellow 'not verified' rating; and known fraudulent sites display a red 'warning' rating.

'TrustWatch Search brings a valuable new element to online searches, and Ask Jeeves is excited to partner with GeoTrust to help make searching safer,' Jim Lanzone, senior vice president at Ask Jeeves. 'This innovative technology will allow consumers to make safer choices when it comes to doing business with Internet sites, whether that's finding a local florist or assessing the validity of a charity. The new TrustWatch Search capability dramatically increases the flexibility of the TrustWatch service and enables it to be used in an entirely new way.'

TrustWatch Search is based on patent-pending GeoTrust identity verification technology that uses an algorithm to evaluate data from many touch points to create an identity verification (IDV) score, much like a consumer credit agency looks at a variety of financial sources to come up with a credit score. If there are enough trust factors to create a high IDV score, the Web site is given a verified rating. TrustWatch Search also works with providers of blacklist data, such as Cyota and the Anti-Phishing Working Group, to alert consumers to fraudulent sites.

TrustWatch Search uses Ask Jeeves Search Technology to provide search results. Based on social networking theory, the algorithmic search technology takes a unique approach to relevancy ranking. Like other search engines, Ask Jeeves Search Technology uses a form of link popularity to assist in page ranking.

It then goes a step further to analyse each page's reputation among experts on a given topic to determine relevancy. With this proprietary Subject-Specific Popularity technology, the Ask Jeeves Search Technology is the first and only search engine to break the Web down into topic-based 'communities' of sites, and to give added credibility to those sites respected as authorities on a particular subject.

In addition to features allowing consumers to evaluate and verify Web site integrity, TrustWatch Search also allows them to personally review merchants and report suspicious, phishing-related activity. The feedback is reviewed, forwarded to anti-fraud organisations, aggregated and may be used in future TrustWatch ratings.

BIOS, Sep 27, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Security