Press release
O2 to become the first company to win web trust mark
O2 is set to become the first company worldwide to be granted a new automated, machine-readable trustmark for accessibility of its corporate website, www.o2.com.
The trustmark awarded by Segala - an independent web certification specialist - is an endorsement of the importance O2 places on the ability of people of all age groups and capabilities to view and engage with content on the company’s corporate website. The Segala trustmark is expected to be adopted by leading Internet search engines, enabling web users to filter for content that is specifically accessible to people with disabilities as well as protecting certain groups, such as children, from inappropriate web content.
Although trustmarks exist around the world, Segala is the first company to apply machine-readable labels to web accessibility by providing a trustmark that is detectable by Internet search engines and portals. The core system was developed under the Quatro project, part of the EU Safer Internet Programme, and in addition to accessibility information, the label includes ICRA (Internet Content Rating Association) descriptors. The trustmark can be displayed wherever the user is on a site, assuring them that the website conforms to industry guidelines.
Today’s announcement follows the recent re-launch of www.o2.com, which has had a number of enhancements, including a sophisticated content management system. This facilitates speedier content update, improved design and navigation, allowing customers, institutional investors, private shareholders and the media to find content more quickly and easily. The new site also consists of new share price modelling tools, regulatory feeds, online CR materials, advanced news search, feedback and email alerts.
O2 awarded Segala a contract to become its exclusive partner to provide a content labelling and web accessibility certification scheme. All of O2’s agencies and content providers have now signed up to the scheme and each web page is stamped with a seal of approval to demonstrate visually that compliance with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines has been met. O2’s approach to accessibility also extends to Segala providing an ongoing ‘self-certify’ scheme. This will allow agencies and content providers to certify their own work, with Segala performing ‘spot-checks’ to ensure the correct process is followed.
Louise Clements, communications manager for O2, said: “Segala’s certification logo will sit within our site as proof that we are doing everything we can to offer mobile workers, the elderly and the disabled the best online experience. By working with Segala, we will continuously look to improve the accessibility of our services as well as audit and certify our suppliers, no matter how experienced they are.”
Paul Walsh, CEO of Segala, added: “With over half of its customer base online, O2 wanted an accessible and compliant website that would offer customers a better experience. We will provide an ongoing certificate service to ensure that future updates to the site are accessible. This will be achieved by spot checking pages to ensure quality is maintained. There’s no point in delivering a one-off site that’s accessible for it to become inaccessible very quickly.”
Note to editors
The Segala Trustmark
Segala is the first company worldwide to apply the concept of machine-readable labels to web accessibility (and mobile content) by offering a trustmark that is detectable by search engines and portals, and can be displayed wherever the user is on a site. Previously, trustmarks were invisible to search engines, limiting their value, and the logo was often displayed on just a single page and therefore invisible to visitors who are viewing other pages on the site.
A range of trustmarks schemes exist around the world. In each case a website is awarded the right to display a seal of approval or trustmark following a review by an independent authority or internal assessor. Trustmarks typically hyperlink to a certificate page provided by the labelling scheme provider to authenticate a web owner’s claims. In a related initiative, the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) - www.icra.org offers a self-labelling scheme for child protection purposes and is the world’s leading example of this self-regulatory approach.
Segala
Segala is the certification authority for Web accessibility and verified mobile content, providing a branded and searchable trustmark. Recognising the need to protect children from inappropriate content, Segala is working closely with the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA), providing a trustmark for both Web and mobile communities.
Segala is the first conformance specialists worldwide to become an Associate member of the GSM Association. It is an Associate member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and is a founding sponsor of the W3C Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) It is also the first company worldwide to provide content labelling services to the mobile industry.
O2 plc
O2 plc has 100% ownership of mobile network operators in three countries - the UK, Germany and Ireland - as well as a leading mobile Internet portal business. All of these businesses are branded as ‘O2’. The company is a founding member of Starmap Mobile Alliance, has operations on the Isle of Man (Manx Telecom) and owns Airwave O2 - an advanced, digital emergency communications service. In addition, O2 has established the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany respectively.
O2 has more than 25 million customers and some 15,000 employees. It reported revenues for the year ended 31 March 2005 of £6.683 billion.
O2 plc contacts
David Nicholas
Director of Communications
O2 plc
david.nicholas@o2.com
t: +44 (0) 771 575 9176
Simon Gordon
Head of Media Relations
O2 plc
simon.gordon@o2.com
t: +44 (0) 771 007 0698
All O2 Group news releases can be accessed at our web site: www.o2.com
For more information on Segala, visit:
www.w3.org/WAI/
www.segalamtest.com or call Paul Walsh on +44 (0)7734 606 453
For more information on Quatro and the EU Safer Internet Programme see www.quatro-project.org
Press contacts:
Katie King
2thefore
Mobile: 07974 161 179
Email: katie@2thefore.biz
www.2thefore.com
Glen Goldsmith
2thefore
Mobile: 07812 766 338
Email: glen@2thefore.biz
http://www.2thefore.com/
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