Google fell for a real Looker, but now Brit competition watchdog's probing data biz slurp

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering whether Google's takeover of Looker Data Sciences is likely to have a negative impact on the market. The CMA said today that it is asking for comments from interested parties. But anyone concerned about the deal better act fast – the deadline for submissions is 20 …

[Dinanziame]

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager

Don't forget she also fined Google billions over their shopping comparison site!

[Pascal Monett]

Somebody make a statue for her.

[Anonymous Coward]

likely to have a negative impact on the market

positively unlikely. After all, google buy stuff out of pure goodness, i.e. to give it a lease of life or decent burial, no?

[DJV]

Re: likely to have a negative impact on the market

Usually, the latter.

[IGotOut]

Meh why bother....

They let them buy double-click and that was obviously going to mess up competition.

Money will change hands, shadey back room deals will get down and Google will get their way.

*The same goes for Facebook's blatant lies when it bought out WhatsApp.

[ArrZarr]

Re: Meh why bother....

2007 was very different to now. Google was unquestionably the dominant player in search already but its monetisation was well below that of today - Google shopping (Froogle at the time) was still little more than an afterthought and I believe that it was still a free service unlike today's PPC model.

In terms of the display ad game, Google was much less of a player back in 2007 as well. Buying doubleclick was their springboard into that space.

It's all very well saying that the doubleclick aquisition was obviously going to mess up competition but Display is still the paid search area that Google is weakest in and the most competition still exists. (I don't have stats to back that point up but search and shopping are both 90%+ so it would be hard for Google to be stronger in Display)