DoubleClick Internet Privacy Litigation

Court: Multiple Jurisdictions

Multiple class action lawsuits in which plaintiffs sought to prevent DoubleClick from merging the "Abacus" off-line database with on-line personal browsing information and alleged that DoubleClick had surreptitiously monitored web 'surfing' habits of internet users without the users' knowledge or consent in violation of the federal and state laws.  Plaintiffs allege that through this illegal conduct, DoubleClick has been creating comprehensive "profiles" of individual internet users, documenting every web site they visited on which DoubleClick was running advertisements.  BLB&G was Co-Lead Counsel in this as well as a number of other internet privacy cases.

On March 29, 2002, a settlement agreement was reached in this action.  In the agreement, DoubleClick committed to a series of industry-leading privacy protections for online consumers while continuing to offer its full range of products and services.

At a hearing on May 21, 2002, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York approved the settlement.  The DoubleClick case represents the settlement of what is probably the largest class there has ever been -- virtually every, if not every, Internet user in the United States.