Protected Browser prevents employees such as call center or customer service representatives having daily access to confidential information in their database — such as bank records, credit card numbers and social security numbers — from capturing or otherwise misusing this information. Thus, consumers can transact business with confidence with vendors that use Protected Browser, even if the vendor has support centers in other countries.

Available as simple HTML and web server plug-ins, Protected Browser enables employees to view customer information on their screens, and to input data into fields, but not print, copy, save or screen-capture it — eliminating the possibility of mass identify theft and other misappropriation, and ensuring compliance with new privacy laws.

Confidential Customer Information Increasingly at Risk

A growing number of screen scraper products — more than 400 — make it easy for users to copy data off a screen. This technology, combined with a red-hot market for customer information among direct marketers, has fueled a massive increase in the sale of confidential customer information. Imposters can not only sell customer information but also use it to obtain credit, merchandise and services in the name of the victim. The victim is left with a ruined credit history and the time-consuming and complicated task of regaining financial health. There have even been incidents of imposters using the victim’s name for criminal activities. In the U.S. alone, an estimated seven million consumers were victims of identity theft in 2002.

The problem has become so widespread that a number of regulations around the world have been enacted to help protect confidential information, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Privacy Protection Law in Japan.

Identify theft and other information misuse is further exacerbated by the now commonplace practice of business outsourcing — a money-saving strategy of farming out business functions such as call centers and customer support functions — to other countries where labor is cheaper. Companies choosing to outsource such operations are nevertheless required by law to protect confidential customer information, even if that data is shipped to a different country. “Until now, most companies haven’t done enough to protect their customer data, whether the employees accessing the data are located in-house or outsourced to a third party,” according to Don Bell, president and founder of MailboxSecurity, Inc. “Most organizations do deploy encryption, virtual private network, and firewall security measures, but you still have the human factor. While the vast majority of workers are honest, it only takes one to ruin a customer financially. Protected Browser will help put an end to this epidemic.”

“Most consumers don’t have any idea how easy it has become for people to obtain and distribute or sell their private information to outsiders,” according to Michael Mansouri, president and CEO of OmniTrust Security Systems, Inc. “We developed this product to prevent this practice, so that consumers can do business with vendors without fear of personal information abuse. Already, such companies are showing tremendous interest for it. We also expect that consumers will have enhanced loyalty to those vendors who are making an effort to safeguard their private information.”

Easy to Install, Use

Corporate information technology departments need only install a plug-in for any web server containing protected content in order to deploy Protected Browser. No integration with back-end systems is required. An administration tool makes it easy to tag the directories of specific web pages that require protection.

On the client side, the Internet Explorer plug-in can be distributed freely and easily to user desktops. Once users download the plug-in, they will have a new toolbar hidden in their browsers. Users won’t see Protected Browser working until they choose to view a protected page, whereupon the word “protected” appears in their toolbar. No hardware or additional software is required; Protected Browser simply acts as a secure viewer when users access confidential HTML content and database information.

Pricing and Availability

Available now, Protected Browser is priced from $25 – $50 per seat; web server-based pricing is also offered. Volume discounts and reseller pricing are available.

About OmniTrust Security Systems, Inc.

OmniTrust Security Systems, Inc., formerly Probix, Inc., enables organizations to share highly confidential information with customers, partners, suppliers and employees in a secure, auditable manner. The company’s products secure complex content on web sites, portals, document management systems and email. Patent-pending technology facilitates usage policies and enforcement, and revokes access — even after delivery — to unauthorized users with a detailed audit trail. As a result, corporations and government agencies remain in permanent control of their confidential information. With headquarters in Mountain View, California, OmniTrust has sales offices in North America and the Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.omnitrust.com.