Lycos Reaffirms Commitment to Online Privacy

Business Wire, Oct 7, 1998

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 1998--

Leading Web Hub a Founding Member of the Privacy Partnership Online

Campaign To Address Critical Consumer Privacy Issue

Lycos, Inc., (NASDAQ:LCOS) "Your Personal Internet Guide" and the second most visited hub on the Web, today joined seven other leading Internet companies and TRUSTe, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to building consumer trust in the Internet, in launching the Privacy Partnership. The coordinated outreach is an unprecedented online campaign to build awareness among consumers of the critical consumer privacy issue.

The Privacy Partnership was announced during a press conference at the Internet World trade show in New York. Madeline Mooney, vice president of communications for Lycos, addressed the media about building a consumer's trust online.

"The only way for the Internet to reach its potential as a mass medium is to recognize the privacy rights of each and every individual user," said Mooney. "The Lycos Network with its many Web properties allows us to reach over 40% of the Web audience with information on privacy rights and policies. Lycos takes this educational responsibility seriously as a leading hub on the Web and the owner of thriving Web communities."

"An online community personalizes the Web, enabling members to have individual relationships in a global medium. These communities cannot grow without trust," added Mooney. "Building a consumer's trust online requires companies to clearly disclose what it does with information collected with customers."

About the Privacy Partnership

The Privacy Partnership is a major grassroots campaign organized by TRUSTe and eight leading Internet companies: America Online, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, Microsoft, Netscape, Snap and Yahoo! to educate as many consumers as possible about privacy on the Internet. By initiating this campaign, these companies are putting out a call for other businesses to join their effort. Ultimately, the Privacy Partnership will represent a grass-roots network of hundreds of companies that are part of the campaign. For more information about the Privacy Partnership visit TRUSTe's Web site: www.truste.org or call Susan Scott, Executive Director of TRUSTe at (650) 856-1525.

About Lycos, Inc.

Founded in 1995, Lycos, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCOS) owns The Lycos Network, the second most visited hub on the Internet, combining all aspects of community, leading Web navigation resources and cutting-edge business and consumer e-commerce solutions. The Lycos Network, a unified set of properties that delivers mass reach and diversity of audience and programming, is composed of best-of-breed services: Lycos.com, Tripod, WhoWhere, Angelfire, MailCity, Guestworld, HotBot, HotWired, Wired News, Webmonkey and Suck.com. Located at http://www.lycos.com, Lycos.com --"Your Personal Internet Guide"-- is dedicated to helping each individual user locate, retrieve and manage information tailored to his or her personal interests. Headquartered near Boston in Waltham, Mass., Lycos, Inc. maintains U.S. offices in New York City, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mountain View, Calif. and Williamstown, Mass. International offices are located in Germany, Italy, France, Japan, the UK, Spain and The Netherlands.

1998 Lycos, Inc. (c) - Lycos(R) is a registered trademark of Carnegie Mellon University. All other product or service marks mentioned herein are those of Lycos or their respective owners. All rights reserved.

DISCLAIMER: Members of the Portal Privacy Initiative are each independent contractors, and nothing shall be construed to create a partnership, joint venture or agency relationship between them. No member has authority to enter into agreements of any kind on behalf of the Portal Privacy Initiative or the other members.

EDITOR'S NOTE: To arrange a meeting with Madeline Mooney at Internet World or if you would like more information about Lycos' participation in the Privacy Partnership, please contact Bill Keeler or Sean Audet of Schwartz Communications at (781) 684-0770, billk@schwartz-pr.com or saudet@schwartz-pr.com.