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Press Contacts:

Michael Sweeny Public Relations Director michael_sweeny@trendmicro.com Tel: +1 (408) 863-6384 Fax: +1 (408) 863-6525

Davida Dinerman/Laura Ackerman Schwartz Communications (781) 684-0770

AdSubtract Blocks DoubleClick Cookies with Free Software

BRAINTREE, MA. March 7, 2000 - AdSubtract.com today released free software that automatically blocks DoubleClick cookies and ads. ‘Cookies’ are small files placed on an Internet user’s computer to track their activities, habits and purchases. Internet ads use cookies to track and transmit data about users to the ad-server. By tracking cookies across many sites, DoubleClick and other ad-servers create detailed online profiles of Internet users. AdSubtract SE software blocks web ads and cookies to combat user profiling and make web browsing faster and more pleasant. It is available for download at www.adsubtract.com.

Online privacy concerns are escalating, as more people become aware of how easily personal data can be cross-referenced with supposedly anonymous cookie data to create extensive profiles of their online and offline activities. A lawsuit was filed against DoubleClick (NASDAQ: DCLK), the largest Internet ad-server company, after plans were disclosed to combine online data with an offline database. Online-privacy has the government’s attention and the FTC is reviewing what information is being gathered and if it should be publicly accessible, as are credit reports.

While lawsuits and pending legislation may bolster Internet privacy in the long-term, both are certain to take time. AdSubtract SE is free and it is available now.

“All cookies are not undesirable. It is unfortunate that ad-servers have given cookies a bad name. Many web sites maintain continuity with visitors by using cookies to recall user preferences. However, ad-server’s use of cookies for continuous, wide-scale tracking of people’s online activity is not acceptable to most Internet users,” said Ed English, AdSubtract’s President. AdSubtract SE defaults to block only DoubleClick cookies, though if a user wishes other cookies can also be blocked.

“AdSubtract SE is a powerful weapon to defend online privacy. It is literally the killer-app of Internet ad-server technology”, said English. “To dramatically raise user-awareness of ads and cookies, we allow the users to enable shooting and cannon sounds, to indicate when ads or cookies are blocked. Sites heavily laden with ads and cookies sound as if you stepped onto a battlefield, and you have; the battlefield for your privacy,” said English.

About InterMute, Inc.
InterMute, Inc. develops and distributes Internet software to make the web more productive, pleasant, and private. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, InterMute's software 'Subtracts the Ads' and protects online privacy. For further information, visit the InterMute web site at www.intermute.com.