Editor:
Scott Gottlieb, CPA
Assistant editor: Susan A. Maffetone, CPA
CPA
Web Trust
Recently, Susan attended a seminar on the CPA Web Trust which
is a new service being offered by various firms. With
CPA Web Trust, CPA's will be extending their historical role
as monitors of corporate policies and practices to specifically
examining companies' Web sites on the Internet. Below
is a copy of the CPA WebTrust Fact Sheet.
CPAWebTrust is a unique seal of assurance which has been developed
jointly by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
(AICPA) and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
(CICA) to break down the barriers to electronic commerce by
assuring online customers that businesses carrying the seal
adhere to standard business practices and controls.
·
Designed to build trust and confidence between businesses
and customers, CPAWebTrust will raise the bar for electronic
commerce business practices and provide independent verification
that Web sites meet AICPA- and CICA-prescribed criteria.
·
The CPAWebTrust seal granted to a Web site assures compliance
with CPAWebTrust principles and related criteria. Consumers
may click on the seal and access a report issued by the CPA,
as well as the CPAWebTrust principles and related criteria.
·
CPAWebTrust principles address three broad categories:
1.
Business Practices Disclosures: The Web site operator
discloses its business practices for electronic commerce
transactions and executes transactions in accordance with
its disclosed business practices.
2.
Transaction Integrity: The Web site operator maintains
effective controls to ensure that customers' orders placed
using electronic commerce are completed and billed as agreed.
3.
Information Protection: The Web site operator maintains
effective controls to ensure that private customer information
is protected from uses not related to its business.
According to a national Yankelovich study, consumers are very
concerned about the privacy and protection of their personal
information - including credit card numbers, Social Security
numbers, buying pattern history - when shopping online. However,
according to the same study, consumers would be more willing
to shop online if there were CPA assurance of a site.
·
Only CPAs who have completed training and have been licensed
by the AICPA in accordance with performance standards are
qualified to issue the CPAWebTrust seal. Training, certification,
and licensing ensure consistent application of the CPA WebTrust
principles and related criteria.
·
The CPAWebTrust seal was developed by the AICPA. VeriSign,
a world-renowned provider of digital authentication services,
has developed the encryption and authentication technology
and practices which help assure the consumer that the seal
on a Web site is authentic and the site is entitled to display
it. This means that the seal is difficult to forge and is
current.
Drop
me an email and let me know what you think.
Accounting
Software tips of the month
2000 Spreadsheet Resources
Microsoft has set up a comprehensive Web site that lists potential
year 2000 issues for each of its products (including Excel)
at http://microsoft.com/ithome/topics/year2k.
For
information on how the new millennium will affect Lotus 1-2-3,
go to http://lotus.com/home.nsf/tabs/yk.
For
Quattro Pro, check out the FAQ page at http://corel.com/2000.htm.
August
Words of Wisdom:
Never
put off till tomorrow, when you can do today.
Call
a friend in need, a relative, someone who is having a hard
time. Take the time to tell someone you care.
