Slashdot Log In
Google buys DoubleClick for $3.1 Billion
Posted by
Zonk
on Fri Apr 13, 2007 07:00 PM
from the still-waiting-for-my-buyout-offer dept.
from the still-waiting-for-my-buyout-offer dept.
marvinalone writes "The New York Times reports that Google has purchased DoubleClick. That seems to be the conclusion to the speculation we've talked about earlier. From the article: 'Google reached an agreement today to acquire DoubleClick, the online advertising company, from two private equity firms for $3.1 billion in cash, the companies announced, an amount that was almost double the $1.65 billion in stock that Google paid for YouTube late last year.'"
Related Stories
[+]
IT: Microsoft to Buy DoubleClick? 195 comments
roscoetoon writes to tell us Bloomberg is reporting that Microsoft is in talks to buy DoubleClick. Seen as a move to compete against the Google advertising engine Double Click owners Hellman & Friedman are seeking a $2 billion payday. "The purchase would give Microsoft tools to battle Google Inc. for ads that appear on Web sites. DoubleClick works with advertisers to create online campaigns, such as streaming video clips to promote New Line Cinema's movie "The Number 23." The New York-based company's Dart technology monitors the performance of Internet ads for marketing companies."
[+]
IT: Google In Bidding To Buy DoubleClick 120 comments
A number of readers clued us to the latest development in the saga of te sale of DoubleClick: Google has thrown its hat into the ring against Microsoft and (reportedly) Yahoo and AOL. Most of the stories quote a Wall Street Journal piece that is only available to subscribers. Google's entry into the bidding may boost the price for the remaining pieces of DoubleClick (parts of the company having already been sold off) to $2 billion, twice what its current owners paid for the whole thing. Some reports speculate that this figure could give Microsoft pause.
[+]
MS Urges Antitrust Scuttling of DoubleClick Deal 234 comments
Microsoft contends that Google's $3.1 billion deal to buy DoubleClick would hurt competition in the online advertising market. And Microsoft expects AT&T, Yahoo, and other companies to join them next week in protesting the proposed sale.
[+]
Your Rights Online: Outcry Over Google's Purchase of Doubleclick 242 comments
TheCybernator writes to mention that several activist groups have cried out in protest of the Google buyout of Doubleclick reported in recent news. "'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,' said the complaint lodged with the Federal Trade Commission. 'Moreover, Google will operate with virtually no legal obligation to ensure the privacy, security, and accuracy of the personal data that it collects.' The complaint was filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center along with the Center for Digital Democracy and the US Public Interest Research Group, all of which are involved in online privacy issues."
[+]
Google Experiences EU Antitrust Friction Over Doubleclick 62 comments
An anonymous reader writes "Here in the US, the Google purchase of Doubleclick is old news. Despite a few hiccups, the news of April and May seems well in the past. In the European Union, though, the discussion begins anew again as Google seeks permission from EU antitrust regulators. From the article: 'The European Commission said it had set a review deadline of October 26, when it could approve the deal, give a two-week extension or open an in-depth, four-month investigation ... The Commission has already sent questionnaires asking competitors and customers what they think about the deal. Google has already filed with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and with the Australian competition regulator.'"
[+]
News: Google Attempts to Allay US Privacy Fears 101 comments
Ian Lamont writes "Google is in the midst of a full-court privacy effort in Washington that involves pushing consumer privacy legislation in U.S. Congress, reaching out to privacy advocates in an effort to allay concerns about its acquisition of DoubleClick, and working with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to 'fine-tune online advertising principles' that the agency proposed last year. Google has been under fire in Washington in recent years — the FTC investigated the Google/DoubleClick deal and the EFF has issued warnings over Google services in the past. Is Google being sincere about these issues, or is this effort mostly paying lip service to its 'do no evil' policy and an attempt to head off future clashes with policy makers?"
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
whoa (Score:5, Funny)
Re:whoa (Score:5, Interesting)
When I saw this headline, all I could think was "Google buys up another chunk of the internet." Seriously -- DoubleClick is everywhere. It's almost like google's trying to become the web.
Parent
Re:D'OH! (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Let me be the first one to say... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Let me be the first one to say... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
no, really!
Won't change much for me (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Won't change much for me (Score:5, Interesting)
Parent
Those generic eBay ads (Score:5, Funny)
I was once looking for information on Nigerian scams, a.k.a. 419 scams, a.k.a. advance fee fraud scams. And, I kid you not [hyperborea.org], among the ads on the Google results page for "nigerian scam" was an ad that read:
I found the same type of ad for "419 scam," then did some random searches, and at the time, eBay seemed to have picked up a whole bunch of two-word phrases.
Parent
Re:Those generic eBay ads (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/05/ebay_stev
Parent
Re:Won't change much for me (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, I'm a little obsessive.
Parent
I felt a great disturbance in the Force... (Score:5, Funny)
What ever happened to ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Every doubleclick host that I can identify is permanently blocked here for web bugs and Dartmail. I don't see that changing any time soon, either.
One could hope that Google will change Doubleclick's behavior before putting their own name on the services.
Re:What ever happened to ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
I hope it was for the client list (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I hope it was for the client list (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re:I hope it was for the client list (Score:5, Informative)
Doubleclick operated under the '3rd party' cookie system. Sites hosted thier cookies, and users of modern browsers had the ability to decide, or 'opt in' to being tracked by third party cookies. Of course, most browsers by default blocked them, and life was good.
Google ad sense operates on a different level...using cookies is just part of the game. Via IP pingbacks, toolbar tracking, and account identification, users may unkowningly be giving out alot more data than they realize.
Say for instance that you use Gmail. or any Google service that requires login. Google can track you via that login to each site you visit that has a google ad (70% of the net from what I understand). See, doubleclick never had this part of the equation...they never had account info. Google can tie your IPs, usernames, email content, and web browsing activity...and you can't do jack about it (short of blocking the google scripts themselves).
Even without login account info, Google has the ability to track your individual machine via IP pingbacks. If you nav to page one, the google ad gets your exposed ip, then the next page you visit that has a google ad...yep..that ip is used to track that navigation. No cookie needed. Of course, if your behind a firewall, only the firewall ip would get exposed. But still...do you really want to give anyone that much information about you?
Parent
Now slashdot needs a new meme (Score:5, Funny)
Doogleclick?
Doobleclick?
Goobleclick?
Youtoogleclick?
No matter who buys it... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Now slashdot needs a new meme (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
"Don't Be Evil?" (Score:5, Insightful)
Schwab
they never said BUY no evil... (Score:5, Funny)
haha (Score:5, Funny)
Ha, you could imagine it like this: The people at doubleclick just got paid 3.1 BILLION dollars.
By Google.
Have a great weekend.
Re:It's f*****d company all over again. (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:It's f*****d company all over again. (Score:5, Funny)
A duck hunter is out early one morning hunting ducks. He's not having a lot of luck and he's about ready to pack it in and go home.
Then he catches a break and shoots a duck. The duck falls to the ground on the other side of a fence. He hops the fence to grab the duck
and a farmer appears from nowhere and asks "What are you doing with my duck?" The hunter says "That's my duck! I shot it." The farmer replies "Doesn't matter -- it's on my land. But I'll tell you what. We'll take turns kicking each other in the nuts as hard as we can until one of us gives up. The winner keeps the duck. Oh, and I kick first." So the farmer winds up and kicks the hunter square in the nuts. The pain is so awful the hunter throws up and then collapses. 10 minutes later, he tentatively gets to his feet and says "Okay, my turn." To which the farmer replies "That's okay, you can keep the duck."
I have a sneaking suspicion Microsoft wasn't that interested in DoubleClick. But they wanted to make damn sure that Google overpaid for it.
Parent