September 28, 2007

Senate Reviews Privacy, Competition Issues in Proposed Google-DoubleClick Merger

U.S. senators on Thursday injected themselves into a high-stakes dispute between Google and Microsoft over whether the search giant's proposed acquisition of display advertising company DoubleClick presents antitrust or privacy concerns. Much of the back and forth focused on two major issues: whether Google's acquisition of DoubleClick would diminish competition in the online ad space, potentially raising ad rates, and whether the merger would put Google in possession of massive stores of data on Internet users, thereby posing privacy concerns and stifling other ad companies' abilities to target ads as effectively.

On Capitol Hill, Google and Microsoft spar over DoubleClick, CNet News.com, September 27, 2007.