Blog

Today marks 5 years since the birth of the CONFIO trustmark, an initiative that emerged from a partnership between ACEPI, DECO and .PT, with the objective of bringing more trust, transparency, security and best practices in digital commerce, in particular, but also in internet usage in general.

In the current pandemic context, the internet has become an essential ally in the management of daily life, and in the acquisition of goods and services. According to ACEPI's Study of the Digital Economy in Portugal 2020, there has been an increase from 40% to 60% of companies with a presence on the internet since 2019. The pandemic forced companies to the digital transition in an accelerated manner and people to transact more on the internet instead of what they did in the physical world before confinement. However, the digital world lacks ways to authenticate and certify the credibility of the websites, it is easy, for example, to create fake company websites to deceive consumers. It is, therefore, imperative to have an entity that attests to the credibility and authenticity of the websites. The CONFIO trustmark is the result of a certification that offers greater reliability to the consumer, not only on the national market, but also on an European level, as it adds the European trustmark "trust ECOMMERCE Europe”.

The CONFIO trustmark is therefore a proof, materialized in a digital logo, which is assigned through an audit carried out by external and independent auditors, which validates the website's compliance with the Code of Conduct. In this way, the best practices in digital commerce are guaranteed, as well as compliance with the law in force to safeguard the rights of consumers. Accreditation focuses on key points such as privacy and processing of personal data, protection of intellectual and industrial property, terms and conditions of sale of contracts concluded at a distance, as well as the existence of procedures for delivering orders and returns. It also assesses the existence of mechanisms for protecting minors, handling of complaints and dispute resolution.

All websites that are dedicated to online commerce, as well as institutional websites, under .pt or under another TLD (Top Level Domain), can be accredited, with the exception of websites related to financial services (banking, insurance and fund pensions), and games of chance.

The CONFIO trustmark has already certified more than 100 websites and its demand has been growing by companies. This demand is one of the consequences of the launch of campaigns to offer adhesion to the CONFIO trustmark, to support companies that suddenly made the transition to digital to safeguard their businesses, or even to create new business opportunities.

Alongside the offer campaigns, during 2020, the pricing of the CONFIO trustmark was revised, making it more appealing. The process of signing up and renewing the trustmark was also streamlined and the Code of Conduct more flexible.

In 2021, still marked by the pandemic, the CONFIO trustmark team continues to be attentive to the needs of entities with a digital presence, maintaining the commitment to continuous improvement to ensure the satisfaction and maintenance of the entities with the trustmark, but also in the increase of new adhesions. For this purpose, the CONFIO Sales Agent will be launched this year, which will allow for a closer relationship with companies, as well as a new revision of the Code of Conduct that will make it more comprehensive in other matters of digital commerce, in addition to the consumer protection.

We intend to be a catalyst for companies to do a more informed digital transition, supporting them in the certification of their websites.

In these five years of the CONFIO trustmark there has been a gradual growth, with particular focus on the last year and a half, for which we would like to thank to the accredited entities, as well as the CONFIO trustmark team that works daily to improve the service provided.

A special thanks to the auditors, without them it would not be possible to do the exempt and rigorous accreditation of the websites, thus contributing to a more credible and secure internet.

Look for CONFIO, buy with confidence!