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By Sonya Rabbitte, 18 July 2000 19:29

NEWS The UK government-backed ecommerce kitemark scheme has come under fire the day after its launch, for awarding its board members the first kitemarks. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and the Consumers Association - both of which are represented on the TrustUK board - along with the Association of British Travel Agents, will be the first companies to bear the official TrustUK seal of approval. As a result, rival internet watchdog Clicksure - which operates a global quality mark scheme - claims TrustUK is inherently biased. Christopher Upton, Clicksure CEO, said TrustUK's board cannot operate objectively under the current circumstances and called for the DMA to stand down. Upton added that the scheme's self-regulatory approach - which awards the kitemark to companies on condition they agree to certain guidelines - makes a mockery of the accreditation system. "In the B2C [business-to-consumer] environment, customers need more protection. There is a problem with objectivity in the way the TrustUK hallmark is actually issued. It is awarded on the basis of self-declaration so a company signs a form saying their site will meet certain standards. But, we think there should be some element of a third party verification," he told silicon.com. But at yesterday's launch, Colin Lloyd, director of TrustUK defended the scheme - he said Clicksure is merely concerned about damage to its own commercial interests. Lloyd told silicon.com: "Clicksure is more of a consultancy business than an accreditation process. It is a commercial organisation. It has an interest in the marketplace and its costs are not appropriate for some smaller businesses. We want small businesses to participate in ecommerce in exactly the same way as big companies. Prices must not be a barrier."