Is TRUSTe Irrelevant?

TRUSTe pulled its logo from some websites for breaking its rules for the first time in 2 years. The article focuses on TRUSTe’s refusal to specify the rules violation, but this seems to miss the point, and widely. In 1999 and 2000, virtually every important website had a TRUSTe logo, and the logo had the potential to really shape consumer expectations and behavior. Now, I rarely see the logo, nor do I care if I see it or don’t. If my experience is typical (and I think it is), then TRUSTe has become irrelevant. I think a better angle for the story would have been—why does anyone care that TRUSTe yanked the logo?