Earlier this week we reported that the F.T.C. is looking at a possible antitrust investigation against Google, over its DoubleClick acquisition. Our poll this week asks: Should Google be investigated for antitrust? I'm somewhat amazed to find that nearly half of respondants so far think that YES, Google should be investigated for anti-trust. At this point 47% of you think that.
42% say no, Google should be left alone. 11% of you don't know either way.
There's still time to cast you vote. Not that the F.T.C. is avidly following Read/WriteWeb's poll (well, I guess that could be a reason for the delay). But seriously, what do you think? Is Google/DoubleClick a monopoly that the US government needs to crack down on?
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Of course they should be investigated...that is the whole point and purview of the FTC. Should there be injunctions against them? That is a whole different matter altogether.
Purchases of this magnitude, through companies of this size and influence should always be researched if the FTC is doing its job.
Posted by: E.T.Cook | May 31, 2007 7:42 AMI think you should ask 47% of your users if they even know what anti-trust means.
Posted by: Randy Charles Morin | May 31, 2007 7:53 AMAbsolutely, investigate. Funny how people now immediately associate the term 'investigate' with guilt.
I think that people have learned to fear the omniscience of any company, and after watching the DoJ go after Microsoft and really bad movies like 'Antitrust' most folks have decided that this is the mechanism to quickly tear down the successful (and, therefore, scary).
The reality is that none of this has anything to do with DoubleClick. If you'd launched the same poll two weeks before the DoubleClick announcement you'd have yielded the same results.
Posted by: Ian Andrew Bell | May 31, 2007 7:57 AMI think they should, I like what they do but there needs to be some questions asked. MS got in to trouble for giving away IE and aren't google doing the same with some of their apps? also put calender into google and look what the first result is?
Posted by: Darren Stuart | May 31, 2007 10:33 AMAnti trust sanctions will mark the beginning of the end for Google (just as they were the beginning of the end for Microsoft). As soon as developers have to get the green light from a lawyer before they can innovate or launch a new product, they will leave for greener pastures.
Posted by: matt | May 31, 2007 11:08 AMWhy?
Google, with DoubleClick will become a very large player in the internet advertising space. They are far from being the only player and far from what you would call a monopoly, in the same way that Microsoft is a monopoly. Microsoft had all of their anti trust action as a result of them bundling their own software and applications with their operating system that resulted in their competition having no chance of making in roads.
Just because a company becomes BIG, doesn't mean that they should be investigated, but that is right at the heart of capitalism. Make sure you encourage growth and development, as long as it doesn't become so great that an individual or company becomes powerful enough to threaten government.
Um, let's worry about oil companies before we worry about Google!
Posted by: Rob Scherer | May 31, 2007 4:38 PMFacebook is rising, Google's PR honeymoon is ending. Pivot shift on the web.
Posted by: Emre Sokullu | May 31, 2007 7:32 PMall I want to say is - MA Bell. Everyone grieps about Microsoft monopoly - but Google is a monopoly [ just a well like one]. Why did fear and question arise - becuase Googles plans are becoming more visible now in it's current aqcusitions.
Posted by: W. Medina | June 1, 2007 9:33 AMcould someone explain in few words what would be the legal side of Google's activities qualifying as trust/monopoly? spontaneously i wonder where there could be a hook for legal action in the case of Google, as compared with the Microsoft anti-trust actions basing on bundling of apps with the OS (but they weren't too effective either, no?).
Posted by: martin | June 2, 2007 6:05 AMSurely they need to be investigated. Monopoly will bring the biggest issues that Google will have to face, like Microsoft.
Posted by: Dedicated Server | June 8, 2007 11:20 PM