VeriSign Inc.
VRSN.US | Data processing, hosting and related activities
VeriSign, Inc. is a global provider of domain name registry services and internet infrastructure, enabling internet navigation for many of the world’s most recognized domain names. VeriSign enables the security, stability, and resiliency of key internet infrastructure and services, including providi...Show More
Better Health for All
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Verisign has demonstrated a commitment to health through several initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company committed $2 million in April 2020 to support first responders, medical personnel in Northern Virginia, and contributed to the United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.
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In May 2021, it directed funds to Direct Relief and GiveIndia for COVID-19 relief efforts in India.
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Verisign also launched a pilot program in spring 2020 with the FDA and NTIA to combat illegal online opioid sales.
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The company actively works to mitigate negative health externalities by combating DNS abuse, which includes malware and phishing attacks that can lead to psychological distress.
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In 2023, Verisign made $1.15 million in direct charitable contributions to organizations, including mental health service providers.
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Between 2008 and 2010, Verisign collaborated with organizations like CAQH and Microsoft HealthVault, and received a contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to enhance the security of health data exchange and electronic medical data transmission.
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The company's core products and services, however, do not have direct health implications, nor does it generate revenue from products with negative health outcomes.
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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No evidence available to assess VeriSign Inc on Fair Money & Economic Opportunity.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
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For Fiscal Year 2024, Verisign's CEO pay ratio was 63:1
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, with the CEO receiving $14,055,378
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and the median employee earning $221,962.
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As of December 31, 2024, the company employed 932 people.
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Verisign emphasizes talent development, employee engagement, and a respectful and inclusive workplace.
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The company maintains policies such as Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Prevention, and Equal Employment Opportunity, and provides an Ethics Helpline.
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Additionally, Verisign offers a matching gifts program up to $3,000 per employee per year
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and eight paid hours per quarter for volunteer activities.
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Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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No specific, quantitative evidence was provided in the articles to assess VeriSign against the 'Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing' KPIs. While VeriSign has an ethics and compliance program, including a Code of Conduct for employees, annual training, and a confidential helpline
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, and has updated its Supplier Code of Conduct to prohibit human rights abuses such as forced and child labor
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, the articles do not provide data on fair-trade certification, audit frequency, forced/child labor incidents, supply chain traceability, remediation speed, ethical clause coverage in contracts, materials risk, or supplier diversity spend.
Honest & Fair Business
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VeriSign maintains a comprehensive Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct, applicable to all employees, officers, directors, contractors, consultants, agents, representatives, and suppliers
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,
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. It includes an anonymous, third-party managed Ethics Helpline and explicitly states that retaliation for good faith reporting is not tolerated
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,
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. Reports of suspected violations are taken seriously, with a defined review process and a cross-functional investigations team
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. The company has a "No Tolerance for Corruption" policy, prohibiting bribery in any form, including facilitation payments, and requires compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the UK Bribery Act 2010
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,
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. This policy applies to all employees and suppliers, with VeriSign reserving the right to audit supplier records for compliance
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. Interactions with government officials require prior approval for providing anything of value
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. At least a majority of the Board members are independent directors, adhering to Nasdaq Stock Market requirements
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, and the Audit, Compensation, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committees consist solely of independent directors, effective October 21, 2025
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. In January 2023, a court ruled in VeriSign's favor in Romano v. VeriSign, Inc., finding that a termination was part of a legitimate company reorganization
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. However, VeriSign's pricing strategy for .com domains has drawn criticism for potentially limiting online business opportunities and yielding excessive profits, as of August 2024
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. Concerns have also been raised regarding VeriSign's effectiveness in addressing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on .com and .net domains, with its proactive enforcement measures being questioned as of December 2020
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.
Kind to Animals
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VeriSign Inc. operates as a global provider of domain name registry services and internet infrastructure. Its business model is service-oriented and does not involve the production of physical goods, animal testing, animal husbandry, animal agriculture, or direct impact on wildlife habitats. Therefore, all KPIs related to the ethical value 'Kind to Animals' are not applicable to the company's operations, as confirmed by the absence of relevant information in the provided articles.
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No War, No Weapons
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VeriSign's services are for general technological infrastructure and do not have military applications or involve arms production, indicating no revenue from such activities.
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The company states it does not develop or sell dual-use products with military applications.
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VeriSign also states it does not trade with prohibited countries, organizations, and individuals, and complies with applicable export controls.
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Planet-Friendly Business
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VeriSign Inc. does not comprehensively disclose its environmental sustainability information, making it difficult to evaluate its planet-friendly practices. There is no publicly available data on the company's Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions, nor has it disclosed any Science-Based Targets (SBTi) or formal reduction goals.
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The company has also not publicly committed to any 2030 or 2050 net-zero climate goals.
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While Verisign's Supplier Code of Conduct, effective January 1, 2024, requires suppliers to operate in an environmentally responsible manner, comply with environmental laws, promote energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and conserve resources, there is no specific data on the company's own performance or supplier climate impact disclosures.
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Respect for Cultures & Communities
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VeriSign demonstrates strong language inclusivity by offering Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) in many different languages and scripts
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, including fully localized IDNs in Japanese, Korean, and Hebrew
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, and supporting Unicode for up to 350 languages.
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The company has no reported cultural appropriation incidents.
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Its internet infrastructure and domain name operations do not typically impact cultural contexts, require Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes, or operate near physical cultural sites, making specific protocols or social licenses not applicable. While the company maintains an ethics and compliance helpline available to employees and the public
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, and provides respectful and inclusive workplace training
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, there is no specific framework for cultural incident response, community-specific grievance mechanisms, or cultural sensitivity training completion rates. No specific community representation on governance bodies is reported. The company engages in general charitable giving
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, but these contributions do not specifically target cultural heritage preservation.
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Safe & Smart Tech
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VeriSign experienced a data breach in September 2023, discovered in December 2023, affecting over 63,000 individuals, primarily employees, due to inadvertent disclosure and insider wrongdoing.
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The company maintains a robust privacy program led by a Global Privacy Officer, ensuring compliance with global privacy laws and regulations, and adheres to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.
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VeriSign holds SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 certifications.
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The company implements a comprehensive cybersecurity program aligned with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, including vulnerability and patch management, network and data segmentation, zero-trust principles, and continuous security monitoring.
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A dedicated Cybersecurity Committee assists the Board in overseeing these efforts, and the company conducts regular internal and external assessments, audits, and tabletop exercises.
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Employees undergo regular data protection and information security training.
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VeriSign developed and implemented qname minimization technology to enhance user privacy by reducing personal information in DNS queries, and granted a royalty-free license for its use to benefit the broader internet community.
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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VeriSign implements waste reduction initiatives, including paperless office and e-waste management practices, and encourages recycling
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. However, specific data on the effectiveness of these practices is not publicly available
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.