For some time now, StopBadware has advocated for increased focus on web hosting providers’ role in protecting customers, Internet users, and the Web as a whole from badware. Last week at HostingCon, StopBadware launched the We Stop Badware™ Web Host program for web hosting providers who pledge to follow policies and procedures consistent with our Best Practices for Web Hosting Providers.
The mechanics of the program are simple. To participate, web hosting providers should:
- Compare their policies and procedures with the guidelines set out by the Practices to ensure compliance.
- Sign up.
- Display the We Stop Badware™ Web Host seal to demonstrate commitment to protecting customers and strengthening the Web’s resistance to badware.
One of our goals in creating the program was to give web hosting providers a way to advertise to customers and Internet users their commitment to security and their support for a stronger, safer Internet. At StopBadware, we believe that hosting providers’ unique position in the architecture of the Web carries with it a responsibility to proactively protect users and create a more secure online experience for everyone. The We Stop Badware™ Web Host program offers security-conscious web hosting providers a chance to fulfill this responsibility and actively participate in the badware solution.
To assist web hosting providers who are in compliance with the best practices, StopBadware also recently released a legal white paper titled Web Hosting Provider Liability for Malicious Content. Developed in conjunction with the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, the white paper is available as an additional resource for web hosting providers seeking information about badware liability. Finally, to complement the Best Practices for Web Hosting Providers, StopBadware is currently in the final stages of developing an inaugural set of Best Practices for Badware Reporting. A public draft of these new best practices is expected later this month.
