DoubleClick has about 40 million cookie IDs, Polonetsky said. DoubleClick agreed to privacy guidelines and restrictions as a result of an FTC investigation when the advertiser planned to personalize its profiles with the addition of databases from its acquisition of Abacus. Consumer groups want information-gathering to be more transparent, such as boxes that ask consumers whether they want advertisers to know their interests. Bernstein said no law exists to limit what online profilers do with information, unless it is deceptive. Some financial and medical regulations touch on it but are not broad enough, she said.
Lawmakers are clearly impatient with the pace of industry privacy protections.