Inside Google

Google’s spreading reach in internet advertising triggered fresh
scrutiny of its privacy practices this week, as US consumer groups used
its proposed $750m acquisition of mobile advertising company AdMob to throw a new spotlight on the issue. The move on Monday, by Consumer Watchdog and Center for Digital Democracy, echoes a similar campaign at the time of Google’s acquisition of online display advertising group DoubleClick in 2007.

San Francisco, CA — Two consumer groups called on the Federal Trade
Commission to block Google Inc.’s planned $750 million acquisition of
mobile advertising company AdMob, arguing the deal undermines
competition in what could become the critical billboard space of the
digital age. In a joint letter to the FTC on Monday, Consumer Watchdog and the
Center for Digital Democracy argued that combining the online search
giant with a company that describes itself as the "largest mobile ad
network globally," would harm consumers, advertisers and developers of
mobile applications.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should block the planned
acquisition because it would diminish competition in the mobile- ad
market, consumer groups said

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should block Google
Inc.’s planned acquisition of AdMob Inc. because the deal would
diminish competition in the mobile-advertising market, two consumer
groups said. The takeover would give Google dominance in mobile advertising and hurt consumers, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog said in a statement today. The groups said they sent a joint letter to the FTC.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Two advocacy groups asked U.S. antitrust regulators
on Monday to block Google’s purchase of AdMob, a provider of
advertising services for mobile phones, on antitrust grounds and to
address privacy issues raised by the deal. Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy organization, and the Center for
Digital Democracy, an advocate of open access to the Internet, said in
a letter to the Federal Trade Commission that the proposed deal would
"substantially lessen competition in the increasingly important mobile
advertising market."

WASHINGTON — Two consumer groups urged the US Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) on Monday to block Internet search and advertising giant Google’s
proposed purchase of mobile advertising company AdMob. In a joint letter, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Digital
Democracy (CDD) asked the FTC to oppose Google’s acquisition of AdMob
on anti-trust grounds and said the deal also raises privacy concerns.

Google’s proposed $750 million acquisition of mobile ad network AdMob
would threaten privacy while also decreasing competition, two advocacy
groups said Monday in a letter to Federal Trade Commission chair Jon
Leibowitz. The organizations are asking the FTC to block the deal. "The consolidation of AdMob into Google would provide significant
amounts of data for targeting advertising," the Center for Digital
Democracy and Consumer Watchdog argue.

Two consumer groups asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to block
Google Inc.’s (GOOG) proposed $750 million acquisition of mobile
advertising company AdMob Inc., as they allege the deal would diminish
competition to the detriment of consumers. "Consumers will face higher prices, less innovation and fewer choices,"
said John M. Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog. "The
FTC should conduct the appropriate investigation, block the proposed
Google/AdMob deal, and also address the privacy issues."

Two consumer groups urged U.S. regulators on Monday to block Google
from acquiring mobile advertising provider AdMob, citing potential harm
the deal could cause to users, advertisers and application developers. Google’s plan to acquire AdMob for US$750 million, announced last
month, "would substantially lessen competition in the increasingly
important mobile advertising market," said the letter,
signed by representatives of the groups Consumer Watchdog and Center
for Digital Democracy. It was addressed to the Federal Trade
Commission, the regulatory body that Google last week said had asked the company for more information about the deal.

Deal To Buy Mobile Advertising Company Is Anti-Competitive And Raises Privacy Concerns

WASHINGTON, DC — Two consumer groups today asked the Federal Trade
Commission to block Google’s $750 million deal to buy AdMob, a mobile
advertising company, on anti-trust grounds. In addition, the groups
said, the proposed acquisition raises privacy concerns that the
Commission must address. In a joint letter to the FTC, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for
Digital Democracy (CDD) said Google is simply buying its way to
dominance in the mobile advertising market, diminishing competition to
the detriment of consumers.

Google recently revealed that the Federal Trade Commission was intensely reviewing the search giant’s recent $750 million acquisition of mobile ad network AdMob.  Last week, Google said the FTC has made a second request for further information about the deal. Today, two consumer groups, Consumer Watchdog and the Center For Digital Democracy, have asked the FTC to block the deal on anti-trust grounds and possible privacy issues.