Yet another study stating that consumers are rejecting cookies has just been released. Burst Media reported today that 38 percent of consumers said in a recent survey that they deleted Internet cookies at least once a month. That finding is nearly identical to one by Jupiter Research, which reported in April that 40 percent of online users delete cookies monthly. Other researchers, including aQuantive's Atlas DMT and The Ponemon Institute also have found surprisingly high numbers of consumers who say they delete cookies.

Overall ad spending in the U.S. during the first quarter rose 4.4 percent to $33.5 billion compared to the same period a year ago, TNS Media Intelligence reported today. It's also the smallest increase since the end of 2003.