Internet Investing Internet Technology Internet Lists Windows Internet Tech. When online advertising giant DoubleClick was recently caught sharing the contents of its cookie jar with a consumer research organization, the crumbs began to fly. Sesame Street A cookie is harmless information that a Web site puts on your computer's hard drive so that it can remember you, the next time you visit.
Cookies are what make personal start pages customizable.
Cookies are also used to rotate banner ads, so that you don't keep seeing the same ad, over and over again. For the most part, cookies are good for you, because they make your online experience both fresh and relevant. Every once in a while, a bad cookie comes along and spoils the batch. The DoubleClick online advertising agency stands accused of using bum biscuits to plunder the privacy of unwitting online consumers. Due to DoubleClick's raid on the cookie jar, the advertising firm is the target of six lawsuits and the subject of a Federal Trade Commission investigation.