Congress to investigate Google-DoubleClick deal
455261
(InfoWorld) - A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee has opened an investigation into Google'sÂ proposed $3.1 billion acquisitionÂ of online advertising seller DoubleClick. The House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection will look into the "far-reaching privacy and competition issues raised by the proposed acquisition," Representative Bobby Rush, the subcommittee chairman, said in a statement. Rush informed the U.S. Federal Trade Commission of the investigation in a letter sent Tuesday. In May, the FTC opened its own investigation into the proposed acquisition. The subcommittee will seek to host a hearing on the acquisition later this year, Rush said in the letter. Consumer groups haveÂ raised concernsÂ that the combined company would be a threat to privacy. In April, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research GroupÂ asked the FTC to blockÂ the merger unless it obtains guarantees from Google and DoubleClick that they will protect Internet users' privacy. The groups want Google to destroy all cookies and other persistent identifiers resulting from Internet searches that are or could be personally identifiable once a user terminates a session with Google. Other groups have raised concerns about the acquisition's effect on competition in the online advertising market. Rush, an Illinois Democrat, shares those concerns, he wrote to the FTC. "The subcommittee takes very seriously the protection of consumer privacy," he added. Google said in a statement issued Thursday that it was confident the FTC will conclude the acquisition "poses no risk to competition." The Senate Judiciary Committee is also planning hearings on the online advertising space, including recent acquisitions by MicrosoftÂ and Yahoo, according to a source familiar with the hearing plans. Â
226553
By KELLY OLSEN  SEOUL, South Korea - Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said Wednesday that U.S. regulatory approval of his company's proposed acquisition of DoubleClick will not be hindered by concerns over privacy.
108770
Google is finding itself increasingly having to explain its planned acquisition of DoubleClick, and is now being asked to testify in September as part of a broader Congressional inquiry into advertising industry consolidation.
140191
Blog: Commission plans to expand its probe beyond Google-DoubleClick to also review Microsoft and Yahoo bids, The Wall Street Journal is reporting.
506859
The chairman of the Senate's antitrust panel is uneasy about Google's proposed $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick and says it should be scrutinized very closely.
251890
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will not try to block Google&#39;s acquisition of online ad-serving vendor DoubleClick, the agency said Thursday.
447280
(InfoWorld) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigatingÂ Google's proposed $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick, according to news reports Tuesday. The investigation began at the end of last week as a result of concerns over privacy issues and the potential for anti-competitive practices, the New York Times reported, quoting anonymous sources. The two companies announced the all-cash agreement last month, with both Google and Microsoft pursuing the online advertising company, as the competition between the two for a greater share of the online ad market increases. Privacy groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD),Â filed a complaint with the FTCÂ on April 20, asking that the government agency block the merger unless Google will ensure users' privacy, including deleting information that could identify an individual user once that user ends his or her session with a Google site. Antitrust issues are likely to be of greater concern than privacy ones, with regulators more concerned about the merger's effect on other online ad players and their ability to compete against the new combined entity, the report said. Â
134682
Representative Joe Barton of Texas said on Wednesday that Google had rebuffed requests by his staff for a meeting as part of an investigation into the companyâs $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick.
352633
The wait continues The European Commission has decided to drag out its investigation of Google's proposed DoubleClick purchase.â¦
346363
Blog: The Federal Trade Commission plans to expand its probe beyond Google-DoubleClick to also look at Microsoft and Yahoo deals, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday
127372
A US congressional subcommittee is investigating Google Inc.'s $3.1 billion purchase of online advertising company DoubleClick Inc. , the panel's chairman said.
574470
The F.T.C. has opened an antitrust investigation into Googleâs planned $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick.
326400
The Federal Trade Commission today approved Google's $3.1 billion takeover of DoubleClick, a move that would marry the two kings of online advertising and raises alarms among privacy advocates and rival advertising companies.
278667
Executives from Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are scheduled to testify before a Senate panel today on the search engine company's planned $3.1 billion acquisition of online advertising company DoubleClick Inc.
195278
InfoWorld - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will not try to block Google's acquisition of online ad-serving vendor DoubleClick, the agency said Thursday.
122670
Google executives are expected to testify about their planned $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick, a deal facing scrutiny from federal antitrust regulators.
688078
Google's pending $3.1 billion acquisition of online ad-serving vendor DoubleClick will hurt consumers, according to two privacy groups opposed to the wholesale approval of the deal.