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from Doug Rushkoff's list, some great links and discussion on doubleclick
and their information collection:
 
The Center for Democracy in Technology has created a one-stop shop for
"opting out" of DoubleClick's cookie tracking activities. The link below
is a cursory description of what DoubleClick does with the personal info
it takes in, and includes steps to disable DoubleClick cookies on your
computer.
http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_6.03.shtml

More links: 

The story by Will Rodger in USAToday that first revealed the DoubleClick
practice:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cth211.htm

CDT's testimony on online profiling and advertising companies, including
DoubleClick:
http://www.cdt.org/testimony/ftc/mulliganFTC.11.30.99.shtml
 
The CDT Newsletter (pasted below) has more details about what
DoubleClick does what it does with the data it gets. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CDT POLICY POST Volume 6, Number 3 February 1, 2000

A BRIEFING ON PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES AFFECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES ONLINE
from
THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTENTS:
(1)  CDT Empowers Consumers to Reject DoubleClick's Double-Cross
(2)  How DoubleClick's Tracking System Works
(3)  Policy Post Administration

______________________________________________________________________

(1) CDT EMPOWERS CONSUMERS TO REJECT DOUBLECLICK'S DOUBLE-CROSS

DoubleClick, a company that uses "cookies" planted on the computers of
many Internet users to customize online advertisements, has begun to link
up online surfing habits and purchases with offline names, addresses and
other identifying information, putting in place the last piece of a
comprehensive Internet tracking system and threatening to deprive
consumers of control over their identity online. DoubleClick's network
includes such large Web sites as Altavista, the New York Times and Sesame
Street.

But Internet users who care about their privacy can take action against
the DoubleClick double-cross, reassert control over their data, and in the
process send a message through the marketplace that anti-privacy business
practices don't pay.

As a follow-on to "Operation Opt-Out," CDT has created a new Web site
where users can opt-out of the DoubleClick cookie system and tell
DoubleClick's partners "I Will Not Be Targeted."

The special site is at http://www.cdt.org/action/doubleclick.shtml.
There you can:

1)  Opt-out of DoubleClick's profiling activities - Opt-out is not the
complete answer to online privacy woes.  But with a single click, you can
render DoubleClick's cookies meaningless on your computer.

2)  Send a message to DoubleClick's member Web sites.  We don't know which
ten sites are disclosing subscriber identities to DoubleClick - when we
find out we'll tell you - so for now you can use our site to spread the
message to all major DoubleClick partners that your identity isn't to be
sold or traded away to DoubleClick.

3)  Send a message to DoubleClick's CEO that you want to decide what Web
sites know your identity.  We have created a simple online template that
generates an email to DoubleClick CEO Kevin O'Connor.

If you care about your privacy and want to surf the Web without your every
move being recorded in a giant database and connected to your name, it's
time to just say no to DoubleClick's profiling.  And tell the companies
that work with DoubleClick that your identity isn't for sale.
______________________________________________________________________

(2) HOW DOUBLECLICK'S TRACKING SYSTEM WORKS

When a user visits one of thousands of popular Web sites in the
DoubleClick system, DoubleClick plants a "cookie" (an id number of sorts)
on the user's computer.  Most users don't even know that the cookie is in
operation. The cookie allows the DoubleClick network to recognize that
computer when it visits the same site again or another site, allowing, for
example, online publishers and advertisers to customize content and
advertisements based on a user's prior visits.

DoubleClick uses "cookies" to collect information about how individuals
use the Web -- the sites they visit, the search terms they use and other
queries they make, their online purchases, their "click through" responses
to advertisements.  In addition to compiling long lists of visited sites
and pages, a user profile may contain "inferential" or "psychographic"
data - information that the company infers about users based on their
surfing habits.

DoubleClick has repeatedly stated that its cookies identified computers,
not people - that it couldn't link its "cookies" to names and home
addresses or other elements of personal identity and didn't want to do so.

Now, DoubleClick acknowledges that it has begun to tie surfing habits and
online searches to personal identity.  DoubleClick has quietly entered
into an arrangement to collect names, addresses, and other personal
information from Web sites where Internet users knowingly register. So
far, at least ten Web sites (the Company hasn't said who they are) are
participating by providing DoubleClick the identity of their subscribers.
Thus, DoubleClick, to whom you have never revealed your identity, may have
access to your name, credit card number, and home address.

When a site discloses your identity to DoubleClick, the final piece of a
massive tracking system falls into place. DoubleClick can link your cookie
to your name whenever you visit any of the 1,500 Web sites in the
DoubleClick network, which includes such prominent online companies as CBS
Sportsline, Travelocity, drkoop.com, Mindspring, TheStreet.com, NBC and
the Wall Street Journal.  From then on, as you surf the Web, DoubleClick
knows who you are, and can track your online habits, purchases and even
search terms.

Moreover, DoubleClick can tie information about your use of the Web to
information about your offline habits -- gathered by DoubleClick's
recently acquired catalog purchasing database company, Abacus.


______________________________________________________________________

(3) POLICY POST ADMINISTRATION

To subscribe to CDT's Policy Post list, send mail to majordomo@cdt.org
In the BODY of the message type 
"subscribe policy-posts" 
without the quotes.

To unsubscribe from CDT's Policy Post list, send mail to
majordomo@cdt.org 
In the BODY of the message type "unsubscribe policy-posts" without
the quotes.

Detailed information about online civil liberties issues may be found at
http://www.cdt.org/.

This document may be redistributed freely in full or linked to
http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_6.03.shtml. Excerpts may be re-posted
with prior permission of ari@cdt.org

Policy Post 6.3 Copyright 2000 Center for Democracy and Technology



 


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