Google's DoubleClick plans come under fire
Visitor Conversion, Internet Marketing, Search Engines
20 December 2007
Google's proposed takeover of DoubleClick in a $3.1 billion deal has been criticised by EU consumer lobby BEUC.
The organisation says the merger would be detrimental to the marketplace and pose privacy problems, as the European Commission continues its investigation into the legitimacy of the deal in light of competition concerns.
In a letter to the European Commission, BEUC declared: "The Google/DoubleClick merger would harm consumer welfare by creating a structure that almost certainly will be less respectful of user privacy."
Google's efforts to buy DoubleClick have drawn considerable attention, as its huge influence across the online advertising and search engine industry makes it a target for regulators.
The fact that the search engine giant uses consumer searches to help decide which adverts appear on screen is one of the reasons it wants to buy the advertising specialist.
However, BEUC is concerned at what this might mean, describing the merger as one of the "most important transactions affecting the market structure of the digital media".
In the letter to Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, BEUC said it wanted to highlight the "additional risks to consumer welfare that the acquisition presents, in particular with respect to the price, degree of innovation, quality, and selection of online products and services".
The commission's decision must be taken by April 2nd.
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