TRUSTae Strengthens the e-Commerce Industry in the UAE

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Thursday, October 13th 2011 [ME NewsWire]

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) is boosting confidence in the e-commerce industry through the introduction of a national electronic trust mark, TRUSTae; an initiative aimed at promoting a secure and safe environment for the e-commerce industry. In an announcement made during Gitex Technology Week, the TRA outlined several functions through the TRUSTae initiative that will bolster confidence and make a secure environment for this sector to continue to prosper.

Commenting on this initiative, H.E. Mohammad Nasser Al Ghanim said, “TRUSTae will empower our e-commerce industry by boosting consumer as well as internet business confidence. This initiative will encourage both parties to consider the UAE's e-commerce sector as a viable and lucrative platform to conduct business. We seek through this campaign to spread awareness in our society by education about e-commerce for both users and providers of internet services. Our vision in this regard is reflected by the fact that we are a recognized symbol locally and regionally in the ICT field. While regionally, the UAE holds a leading position in e-commerce due to its well-established infrastructure, it is our goal to strengthen this sector. We aim to make it renowned for security and the peace of mind businesses and consumers can experience while engaging in business through this platform.”

“While the initial Gitex launch focused heavily on cyber security, the Trustae model has been designed in such a way that it will grow in line with consumer demands, with plans already in place to address issues such as privacy, accessibility and quality of UAE websites,“ H.E. Al Ghanim added.

The press conference touched on several topics related to this initiative including the open nature it enjoys, which allows for maximum flexibility in scaling and customization. It is also built on widely accepted standards and assessment practices from the global security community. The initiative also provides directions for personnel working in corporate entities involved in this field in order to implement the standards of this initiative to their websites.

At the TRA stand at Gitex, H.E. Al Ghanim answered a few questions related to the objectives of the TRUSTae initiative, its vision for the future taking into consideration the dynamic nature of this sector.. Some questions were also answered regarding the mechanisms adopted by the initiative to increase the confidence of customers in using e-commerce products on both national and regional levels. In his answers, Al Ghanim noted that the TRUSTae initiative follows a 'black box approach' which resembles a remote, light weight security assessment mechanism of web application. This security assessment mechanism is built using a balanced approach which takes into consideration many important factors such as minimal customer interaction and the availability of the website.

Notably, TRUSTae is an initiative designed in-line with the UAE government strategy plan and Federal Law No (1) of 2006 on Electronic Commerce and Transactions. It is a nationwide trust mark initiative by the TRA to boost confidence in the electronic commerce environment in the UAE.

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For more information about TRA please visit www.tra.gov.ae.

Contacts

Mrs. Huda Al Mutawa

Director, Corporate Communications Affair

UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA)

+9712-6118250

huda.almutawa@tra.gov.ae