DoubleClick: Sensitive Data
DoubleClick Inc. insisted today that it has not and will not use "sensitive" data in its profiles, just as the state of Michigan announced plans to file a consumer protection lawsuit
against the embattled Internet advertising company.
In a statement released today, DoubleClick President Kevin Ryan
said "DoubleClick has never and will never use sensitive online
data in our profiles, and it is DoubleClick's policy to only merge
personally identifiable information with non-personally merged
with non personally-identifiable information for profiling, after
providing clear notice and choice."
Today the Michigan Attorney General's Office filed a notice of
intended action against DoubleClick for alleged violations of the
state's consumer protection act. "It deals with the failure of
DoubleClick to disclose to users that DoubleClick is implanting
"cookies," or electronic surveillance files, on their hard drives,"
said Granholm spokesman Chris DeWitt. The Michigan probe
into DoubleClick's activities was launched a number of weeks
ago, he said.
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday said it was
conducting an inquiry to find whether DoubleClick engaged in
unfair or deceptive practices in violation of the FTC act. The New
York Attorney General's Office announced its own inquiry into
DoubleClick, and at least six lawsuits have been filed against
the company, according to the Associated Press.
Juanita Scarlet, a spokeswoman for New York Attorney General
Eliot Spitzer, told Newsbytes today, "DoubleClick is voluntarily
providing us with information in response to an inquiry by our
office about its overall business practices." DoubleClick said
yesterday that the New York inquiry was designed to "understand
online advertising and the implications for consumers."
In its statement, DoubleClick called on "other Internet players" to
adopt strong privacy policies, and proclaimed its own policy was
good for consumers and businesses. "We are confident that our
business policies are consistent with our privacy statement and
beneficial to consumers and advertisers," Ryan said. The company
stood by its new privacy policy unveiled on Monday as "the most
aggressive Internet privacy policy ever" and reiterated its pledge to
only do business with online publishers with privacy policies.
Two months ago DoubleClick bought consumer database Abacus
and soon formed Abacus Online Alliance to use its data with
consumers' Web activities as a way to target Internet ads. EPIC
and other privacy advocates lashed out at DoubleClick and continued
their outcry after the company Monday unveiled a banner ad campaign
aimed at letting consumers know they could "opt out" of the database.
Critics maintained that merely telling Internet users that there is a way
to get out of the database is not enough.
EPIC's FTC complaint last Thursday alleged DoubleClick engaged in
unfair and deceptive trade practices by "unlawfully tracking the online
activities of Internet users and combining surfing records with detailed
personal profiles contained in a national marketing database." The group
asked the FTC to order DoubleClick to stop the practices.
EPIC this afternoon told Newsbytes it has decided against filing a similar
complaint against another company, executive director Mark Rotenberg
said. Earlier today, Rotenberg said EPIC may take further action related
to its DoubleClick complaint.
DoubleClick Inc., can be found on the Web at http://www.doubleclick.com.
Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.