In today’s increasingly networked environment, everyone wants to rely on the web for information. But it’s hard to know which sites can be trusted - and which sites may be fraudulent.

With the proliferation of phishing scams and other online fraud, consumers are in need of better identity solutions. Trust on the internet has evolved from simply needing to secure an e-commerce transaction to "Can I trust this site?". To gain and maintain customer trust and confidence, it is important that web sites be "verified" which means that a trusted third-party can prove that a web site is who it says it is.

While digital certificates are one answer to gaining customer trust through the presence of the "lock" icon, they are not necessarily relevant to all businesses. There are many businesses and informational web sites that don't need encryption, but still need to let visitors know that the domain they are visiting is legitimate and that the information the web site contains can be trusted.