Google acquires DoubleClick (2007)
Google agreed to buy DoubleClick, the leading ad-serving company, for $3.1 billion. The FTC reviewed the deal for competition and privacy concerns, with privacy advocates urging conditions on how Google could combine data.
The FTC cleared the deal in December 2007 without conditions, saying it found no evidence the merger would harm competition in ad markets.
The deal made Google the dominant force in online advertising. Privacy concerns about data combining resurfaced in later years.
Shows how the FTC previously handled ad-tech mergers. The Publicis-LiveRamp order reflects a more interventionist approach to data and advertising markets.
