GoCompare.com Adopts GlobalSign EV SSL

Latest Major Brand to Increase Trust and Confidence in Online Services through use of Extended Validation (EV) SSL

January 24, 2008; 02:33 AM

London, UK – 22nd January, 2008 – GlobalSign (www.globalsign.com), one of the longest established Certification Authorities (CA) and specialists in SSL certificate security, today announced UK insurance comparison site Gocompare.com as the latest major brand to adopt its EV SSL technology. EV SSL triggers the new "green address bar" in Internet Explorer 7 (and the upcoming Firefox 3) and gives companies a means of visibly showing to web site visitors they are a truly authentic and secure site – a clear business differentiator for online companies affected by today’s relentless phishing attacks and a growing mistrust of online services by consumers.

EV SSL Certificates represent the most significant advancement in SSL technology since its inception over 10 years ago, and allow previously unattainable levels of website authentication using improved SSL technology and standardised company vetting practices. New high security browsers such as IE7 and Firefox 3 identify sites using EV SSL certificates as "special" and activate the browser interface security enhancements, such as the new green address bar feature in Internet Explorer 7. In turn, user confidence is maximised, safe in the knowledge that the website is an authentic company and has been officially identified by an audited Certification Authority vetting under standardised policies defined by the CA/Browser Forum (of which GlobalSign is a member).

"Gocompare.com’s success directly depends upon the level of trust that we can provide our customers. As an online insurance comparison service, our customers need to be confident that, as well as being able to find the right cover for their requirements, their personal information will be completely secure," said Dan Cassell, IT Director of Gocompare.com. "Adopting the EV SSL certificate demonstrates to the customer that we are a truly secure website, and that we are able to provide them with the highest level of online trust and confidence."

"Gocompare.com was one of the first true web 2.0 comparison sites and has quickly established itself as a well known and trusted online brand in the United Kingdom," said Paul Tourret, Managing Director of GlobalSign Ltd, "Its adoption of EV SSL cements its dedication to providing the highest levels of online security to its customers. With such a credible brand to protect, Gocompare.com and its customers benefit immediately from the protection EV SSL certificates can provide against phishing attacks and potential identity fraud."

About EV SSL Certificates

The criteria for issuing EV Certificates (the EV Certificate Guidelines) are produced by the CA/Browser Forum, an organization whose members include leading Certification Authorities and browser vendors, as well as representatives from the legal and audit sectors. GlobalSign and VeriSign are two such members.

About Gocompare.com

About GlobalSign

Established in 1996 and as a WebTrust accredited public certificate authority, GlobalSign offers publicly trusted SSL, including new Extended Validation SSL Certificates, S/MIME and code signing certificates for use on all Windows platforms including Mobile. The GlobalSign RootSign program allows the widely distributed and highly trusted GlobalSign root CA certificates to provide immediate trust for Microsoft CA and other inhouse CA users, thereby eliminating the costs associated with supporting non-trusted root CA certificates within an enterprise. These core GlobalSign solutions allow its thousands of enterprise customers to conduct secure online transactions and data submission, and provide tamper-proof distributable code as well as being able to bind identities to client certificates for email security and remote two factor authentication, such as SSL VPNs. The company has a rich history of innovation within the online security market and operates sales and support offices in the US, UK, Japan and Belgium, with services available in a number of European and Asian languages.

About GMO Internet Inc.

GMO Internet Inc. (CEO Masatoshi Kumagai) is headquartered in Tokyo and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, First Section (Code: 9449). Its Internet based business areas include Internet infrastructure and media. Further details can be found at http://www.gmo.jp/en/ and Mr Kumagai’s profile can be found at http://gmo.jp/en/profile/message.html.

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