A Peculiar Blog

This is a problem. Google already has mountains of data about who is
searching for what and when, if they combine that data with the mountain
that DoubleClick has compiled about people’s surfing habits it will be
entirely too easy for them to have an unparalled advantage in the
business of search and targeted advertising.

Meanwhile, Micro$oft and AT&T asked the FTC to "examine the
merger for anticompetitive issues around online advertising". This
sounds like they’re trying to play the good guys, but their motives are
very much in doubt since Micro$oft was also talking about acquiring
DoubleClick.

Privacy
concerns dog Google-DoubleClick deal

news analysis There is growing unease among consumer privacy
advocates over Google’s proposed $3.1 billion acquisition of
DoubleClick.

How will the search-advertising powerhouse treat the massive
amounts of data it already stores on people’s search histories once it
also has at its disposal a storehouse of data on people’s surfing
habits from DoubleClick, the No. 1 digital ad-serving company?
Specifically, will Google combine the two data systems to map not only
what someone searches for, but also which sites they visit, videos
they watch and ads they click across the Web in order to better target
marketers’ promotions?

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anticompetitve,
privacy, datamining