Mountain View (CA) - Three notable privacy groups have urged the Federal Trade Commission to halt Google's acquisition of online advertiser DoubleClick. The groups say the deal is a threat to privacy rights and want both companies to erase browser cookies along with setting up an opt-in system for browser tracking.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center, Center for Digital Democracy and US Public Interest Research Groups say user-identified cookies from both Google and DoubleClick are dangerous and they want all such cookies to be erased unless the user explicitly agrees to tracking. The groups also want Google to destroy all tracking cookies after a search session ends.

DoubleClick has tried to assure the public that proprietary information will not pass over to Google. "Ownership rights.. will be unaffected by any acquisition," said DoubleClick. Google's deputy genera counsel Nicole Wong says the charges are unfounded and added that Google complies with accepted privacy standards.