New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued Gratis Internet Thursday for selling - despite a promise of confidentiality - email addresses obtained from millions of consumers, in what may be the largest deliberate breach of internet privacy yet, reports the Associated Press. Consumers thought they were registering to see a site offering free iPods or DVD movies and videogames, Spitzer spokesman Brad Maione said. On sign-up pages, Gratis promised it "does not…sell/rent e-mails."

Gratis is accused of selling access to the email information to three independent email marketers, resulting in hundreds of millions of email solicitations being sent out. A Gratis spokesman, George Thompson, said the allegations "are completely untrue."