Two consumer groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission to block Google's USD 750 million deal to buy mobile ads provider AdMob on anti-trust grounds, adding that the acquisition raises privacy concerns. In a joint letter to the FTC, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) said Google is buying its way to dominance in the mobile advertising market and diminishing competition to the detriment of consumers. The FTC earlier requested additional information about the deal indicating it is scrutinizing the proposal in great detail. Besides the anti-trust issues, the letter from the two consumer groups said that a combined Google/AdMob raises substantial privacy concerns because it would provide significant amounts of data for tracking, profiling and targeting US mobile consumers. The groups noted that both AdMob and Google gather tremendous amounts of data about consumer online behavior, including location. AdMob targets consumers using a wide range of methods, including behavioral, ethnicity, age and gender, and education. In addition to its extensive mobile ad apparatus, Google also provides mobile advertising and data driven analytical services through its DoubleClick unit.
