Google and Doubleclick: Consumer Protection and “one big wet kiss” from DOJ
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) petitioned the FTC to scrutinize Google’s acquisition of Doubleclick because:
Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick will give one company access to more information about the Internet activities of consumers than any other company in the world. Moreover, Google will operate with virtually no legal obligation to ensure the privacy, security, and accuracy of the personal data that it collects. At this time, there is simply no consumer privacy issue more pressing for the Commission to consider than Google’s plan to combine the search histories and web site visit records of Internet users.The fact that the consumer protection overlay to the proposed merger matches well with the FTC’s organizational structure and mandate was not lost on the petitioners.
Center [for Digital Democracy] director Jeffrey Chester said the petition is part of a strategy to steer the antitrust review to the FTC rather than the Justice Department. “The Federal Trade Commission is much more likely to do a more-rigorous analysis,” said Chester, characterizing antitrust reviews by the Justice Department as “one big wet kiss.”
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