The New York attorney general recently announced separate settlements  with three major online advertisers for deceptively promoting  products and services online through adware, advertising that is  integrated into software and installed on a consumer's computer by a  third party, often without the consumer's knowledge or consent. The settlements with Priceline, Travelocity and Cingular Wireless  mark the first time an attorney general has held advertisers  responsible for ads displayed through adware. They impose new  obligations on advertisers to independently confirm on an ongoing  basis that advertising is being delivered properly. The three settlements grew out of the attorney general's  investigation of online publisher DirectRevenue. In an April 2006  lawsuit, the attorney general alleged that DirectRevenue installed  adware programs onto millions of computers that delivered a steady  stream of ad