DoubleClick settles consumer privacy class action

Over a dozen separate federal and state suits had been filed against the New York-based Internet advertising company charging that it invaded users' privacy, the first such lawsuit was filed in California by the Rothken Law Firm. The suits were later consolidated into a single federal suit, which was settled in March. A final settlement was approved Tuesday by Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Among the terms of the deal, DoubleClick is required to create an easy-to-read privacy policy the better protects user privacy rights.

Included in the terms of the settlement are rules that require DoubleClick to do the following:

• Create a privacy policy that is easy to read, outlines the company's use of cookies and pixel tags, and explains its online ad servicing service.

• Launch 300 million banner ads on sites across the Internet that explain how consumers can protect their privacy, opt out of having a DoubleClick ad server cookie placed on their computers and how cookies are used and data is collected.

• Purge various user information that the company has collected on consumers on a regular basis, and

• Hire an accounting firm to audit its compliance with the terms.