We think Google’s name for its Doubleclick take-over is revealing. They called it the “Whopper Acquisition Corp.” This deal is about empowering the most powerful advertisers to target us via Google’s ever-expanding precision and personal data-infused technologies. But our data—and civil society—isn’t a fast-food marketplace. Google’s glib approach may be cute by Silicon Valley standards. But much more here is at stake. Google needs to acknowledge this, and be forthcoming about the need for privacy protections and marketplace safeguards.

From merger agreement: “THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of April 13, 2007, by and among Google Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Buyer”), Whopper Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Buyer (the “Transitory Subsidiary”), and Click Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”).”

[source for Whopper lead is John Battelle’s weblog]

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Author: jeff

Jeff Chester is executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. A former journalist and filmmaker, Jeff's book on U.S. electronic media politics, entitled "Digital Destiny: New Media and the Future of Democracy" was published by The New Press in January 2007. He is now working on a new book about interactive advertising and the public interest. View all posts by jeff