UK ignores DoubleClick's US privacy investigation

British authorities have failed to take notice of the US Federal Trade Commission's investigation into DoubleClick. The Web advertising company is currently facing allegations of abusing privacy rights.

David Smith, assistant registrar at the Data Protection Registrar - which is responsible for the protection of consumer data - said his organisation is unaware that an investigation has been launched.

DoubleClick has been accused by a civil rights organisation in Washington (Centre for Democracy and Technology) of infringing consumer privacy rights through their data collection practices. This has led to a Federal Trade Commission investigation into the company's activities and a separate lawsuit filed by the State of Michigan.

Smith added: "We will watch the Federal Trade Commission's investigation with great interest."

But Amy Shapiro, director of global communications for DoubleClick, denied there will be a problem in the UK: "Right now we're only doing this collection of data in the US - we need to see how well it works first in the US. We'll always respect the laws of individual countries."

Jo Whyte, director of consumer affairs for the Direct Marketing Association, said the important thing to consider is whether the company is transferring data out of the UK back to the US where there are less stringent protection laws. The DMA has recently launched TrustUK to protect consumer interests in the UK.

"According to the new Data Protection Act which comes in 1 March, they will have to prove they are not exporting data or can prove that the information is adequately protected," said Whyte.

She said DoubleClick will be considered for membership in TrustUK along all with all other Net companies based on their privacy policies. However, she insisted their privacy policy will be closely inspected: "Having a statement is one thing, what they do with information is another - we need to make sure all companies are up front about what they do."