ValidSoft achieves unprecedented third European Privacy Seal

LONDON, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ValidSoft , a global supplier of telecommunications-based fraud prevention, authentication and transaction verification solutions, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Elephant Talk Communications, Corp. (NYSE MKT: ETAK), formerly (NYSE Amex: ETAK), has achieved its third European Privacy Seal from EuroPriSe, this time for its SIM-swap fraud prevention solution, VALid-SSD®.

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ValidSoft is the only security software company in the world to have achieved three EuroPriSe Privacy Seals. They are awarded after a rigorous legal as well as technical assessment and evaluation process to show that a product is compliant with EU data protection standards and embraces the 'privacy by design' approach. The EuroPriSe Privacy Seal programme was set up with the support of the European Commission. It is the only accreditation programme to promote such high standards of data protection and privacy compliance. It is also the only programme capable of ensuring financial services institutions and consumers that the strongest and most sophisticated security solutions do not need to compromise privacy. This already prestigious programme will be afforded an even more critical role next year with the likely adoption of Privacy Seals and other formal certification methods in the upcoming Data Protection Regulation, as championed by EU Commissioner Mrs Viviane Reding.

This particular seal is for VALid-SSD® (version 3.5). It is the world's first detection and prevention application for use by the banking industry to tackle the growing problem of SIM card fraud. This is a type of 'Pseudo-Device-Theft' which enables fraudsters to maliciously redirect mobile telephone calls and SMSs in order to defeat Out-Of-Band authentication systems and other anti-fraud measures involving customer contact via the mobile phone. This increasingly global threat has caused significant losses for the banks affected.

Mr Pat Carroll, CEO of ValidSoft comments, 'Achieving a third seal from EuroPriSe is something we're very proud of. Not only does it cement our position as a global leader in data privacy and protection, but it puts us and our clients ahead of the game as the mobile/e-commerce market expands. Payment security is about balancing risk with usability, and at the same time building and maintaining trust and confidence - and that means taking a 'privacy by design' approach. Not only do our security systems clearly meet the highest security standards, but they have privacy built in by design, further enhancing our security offering by improving customer usability and trust.'

Kirsten Bock, Head of EuroPriSe, comments, 'Data privacy and protection are  crucial to the success of the pan-European e-commerce industry. There is huge potential for growth, but that will depend on consumer trust in privacy respecting solutions. ValidSoft's solution gives consumers that trust, so we're very pleased to be awarding the company its third EuroPriSe seal. It's no small feat to achieve one, so the fact that ValidSoft has been awarded three shows a very serious commitment to data protection and privacy by design.'

About ValidSoft:

ValidSoft Limited has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elephant Talk since early 2010 and underpins our mobile/cloud security offering. The company is a market leader in providing solutions to counter electronic fraud relating to a variety of bank, card, internet and telephone channels. ValidSoft's solutions are used to verify the authenticity of both parties to a transaction (Mutual Authentication), the security of the relevant telecommunication channel used (Secure Communications), and the integrity of transactions itself (Transaction Verification) for the mass market, in a highly cost-effective and secure manner, while being very easy to use.

The company counts several leading worldwide service providers and institutions among its customers.  These companies benefit from a very substantial reduction in false positives, thereby freeing up resources to combat actual fraud, as well as a substantial elimination of the fraud itself, all in real time. ValidSoft is the only security software company in the world that has been granted three European Privacy Seals. Visit www.validsoft.com.

About Elephant Talk Communications:

Elephant Talk Communications, Corp. (NYSE: ETAK), formerly (NYSE Amex: ETAK) is a leading international provider of mobile networking software and services. The Company's mission is to provide a single service, fully enabling and securing the mobile cloud.

Elephant Talk empowers Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) by providing a cloud based mobile communications infrastructure, operating software and managed services, based mostly on company developed and owned software. We enable these Mobile Operators and Virtual Network Operators by offering a full suite of products, delivery platforms, support services, superior industry expertise and high quality customer service without substantial upfront investment.

As a specialized outsourcing partner, we provide operating software, managed services, cloud and SaaS solutions, an integrated transaction and delivery platform to the mobile telecommunications industry globally. Our products include remote health care, credit card fraud prevention, mobile internet ID security, secure remote file access management, loyalty and transaction management services and a whole range of other emerging mobile services.  Elephant Talk can count several of the world's leading Mobile Operators amongst their customers including Vodafone, T-Mobile and Zain, and virtually all business is focused on tier 1 operators worldwide. Visit www.elephanttalk.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Company's plans and objectives, projections, expectations and intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Because such statements involve risks and uncertainties, the actual results and performance of the Company may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company also disclaims any obligation to update its view of any such risks or uncertainties or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to the forward-looking statements made here. Additional information concerning certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from that projected or suggested is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), copies of which are available from the SEC or may be obtained upon request from the Company.

Notes to Editors:

Media Contacts

PR Teams:
UK: Fishburn Hedges
+44 (0)20 7839 4321
[email protected]

US: Intermarket Communications
+1 212 888 6115
[email protected]

Investor relations:
Steve Gersten
Elephant Talk Communications Corp.
+ 1 813 926 8920
[email protected]

Peter Salkowski
The Blueshirt Group
+ 1 415 489 2184
[email protected]

SOURCE ValidSoft