The attorneys general of Michigan, New York, Connecticut and Vermont are involved in negotiations with the company over alleged privacy violations. New York, for instance, has been investigating DoubleClick since the start of the year, even before the CDT protests became public. New York began an inquiry into the sale of consumer information to telemarketing companies. While the attorney general's office is impressed by DoubleClick's recent efforts to work with government to implement privacy standards, it is continuing to negotiate and may yet file suit. While some consumer advocates are likely to insist that we return to a world without cookies, DARTs and DoubleClicks, it should be kept in mind that there is an exchange value to visiting Web sites and taking advantage of online services.
Cookies can also remember user names and passwords that allow customized service.
If, however, you don't like the idea of DoubleClick or anyone else tracking your travels, you can easily opt out at any time. It is simple enough to delete cookie files and disable new cookies from taking effect. Since most online content has a commercial motive, the presence of marketing on the Web is inevitable. Taken on the whole, cookies and online advertising have their pros and cons. In the end, though, the choice still remains in the hands of the individual user.