Trustpilot launches encrypted customer review invitations for added security

New York, Denver, London, Copenhagen, Berlin, Melbourne, Vilnius – June 21, 2017 – Trustpilot, the leading global online review community, today launched Business Generated Links, a new customer review invitation tool that provides increased privacy and data protection for review invitations. With Business Generated Links, businesses invite their customers to leave reviews on Trustpilot while keeping Personally Identifiable Information (PII) secure. PII is not processed or stored on Trustpilot servers until after the individual reviewer agrees to Trustpilot’s terms and conditions.

Before Business Generated Links, it was difficult - sometimes impossible - for businesses in certain industries or geographies to request, collect, and manage customer reviews efficiently. The healthcare industry in the U.S., for example, must safeguard basic information such as names, dates and email addresses because of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations and compliance standards. Trustpilot’s new Business Generated Links tool allows these businesses to encrypt information as it travels across the web.

 “This new tool opens the door for any business, regardless of industry, to gain the huge benefits that come from inviting customers to leave reviews, including those in sectors like banking and healthcare where data privacy rules are rightly strict,” said Lars Hansen, Vice President of Product Strategy at Trustpilot. “We developed this product with extreme care so businesses could differentiate themselves and reinforce brand trust while being mindful of data protection and privacy regulations.”

Business Generated Links produces unique data on a business’ own server for every customer review invitation. The invitation is then dispatched directly to the customer via email. Customer information is safeguarded using 256-bit AES encryption to ensure secure transfer of PII across the Internet, the same technology approved by the National Security Agency (NSA) and used by the U.S. federal government to transfer sensitive information. Consumer reviews have become increasingly important in an age where consumer trust and confidence is at an all-time low. Edelman’s 2017 Trust Barometer reported the largest-ever drop in trust across the institutions of government, business, media and NGOs, leading more consumers to read reviews prior to making purchasing decisions. Half of all adults are now routinely checking online reviews before making purchasing decisions, according to Pew Research Center.

For more information, visit www.trustpilot.com.

Trustpilot is a global online review community bringing the power of trust and transparency to the Internet economy. The company empowers consumers to make smarter purchasing decisions while enabling companies to grow their brands by harnessing the power of consumer reviews. With more than 30 million reviews of 160,000 businesses, Trustpilot has offices in Copenhagen, London, New York, Denver, Berlin and Melbourne with about 500 employees representing 40 different nationalities. For more information, visit www.trustpilot.com