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FTC Head Should Recuse Herself OVer Google-DoubleClick Ties, Rights Groups Say - Via Threat Level:
Digital rights groups opposing the Google proposed acquisition of Doubleclick formally requested Wednesday that Federal Trade Commission chair Deborah Platt Majoras recuse herself from the review, after learning that DoubleClick hired a law firm where Majoras used to work and where her husband currently does.
The complaint states that DoubleClick retained Jones Day, a D.C. law firm, specifically to represent itself before the FTC in regards to the agency's anti-trust review of Google's proposed $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick. Before joining the FTC, Majoras was a partner at Jones Day in its anti-trust division, while her husband, John Majoras is still a partner in the same unit.
Privacy groups oppose the merger saying that allowing text-ad giant to acquire DoubleClick's visual ad-serving technology, client base and consumer databases would give Google too much knowledge about what people do online. Microsoft and Yahoo, among others, argue that Google is trying to corner the growing online ad market. For its part Google says it will handle cookie data about where people go online better than DoubleClick and that the online ad market will remain competitive.
Majoras has recused herself in other reviews when companies hired Jones Day, according to the complaint.
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(Read Original Article - Via Threat Level.)
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