How can Norton Safe Web's new shopping safety ratings judge vendors' reputation?

Symantec, a provider of security, storage and systems management solutions, has released the public beta of Norton 360 version 3.0, its all-in-one security suite.

The public beta includes Norton Safe Web, a new web site rating service, and enhancements to tuneup and backup. The new version of Norton 360 will also include the security and performance improvements that were launched in Norton internet security 2009.

As consumers shop online for convenience and value, Norton Safe Web's new shopping safety ratings can now help them judge whether vendors are reputable before making a purchase by indicating whether sites are legitimate businesses, comply with good business practices, keep transactions secure and protect consumer privacy, according to Symantec.

According to Symantec, the Norton Safe Web also offers accurate, up-to-date ratings that enable users to easily differentiate safe Web sites from malicious ones.

Rowan Trollope, senior vice president of consumer business unit at Symantec, said: "Our goal for this version of Norton 360 is to deliver comprehensive protection with zero impact on performance, so consumers can be productive online, backup their valuable data, and keep their computer running at peak performance. With Norton Safe Web, we are extending that protection to make shopping and other everyday online activities safer."