Guess Who's Saying "Antitrust" Now?

Microsoft just issued a statement regarding the antitrust allegations Redmond has lodged against Google in the wake of the latter’s acquisition of DoubleClick.

Microsoft SVP and General Counsel Brad Smith says in the release:

“This proposed acquisition raises serious competition and privacy concerns in that it gives the Google DoubleClick combination unprecedented control in the delivery of online advertising, and access to a huge amount of consumer information by tracking what customers do online. We think this merger deserves close scrutiny from regulatory authorities to ensure a competitive online advertising market.”

Update: An organization called NetCompetition.org just came out with a paper criticizing what it calls Google’s “imperial ambitions.” Entitled “How Google-DoubleClick is Exploiting Antitrust Law’s Weak Underbelly to Dominate Internet Advertising” (PDF download), the paper accuses Google of trying to “get rid of potential competitors in a clever manner that will not likely be scrutinized by the Government.”

Only this organization sounds even creepier than its accusations against Google. It bills itself as an “e-forum promoting competitive Internet choices for consumers.” Its members, however, are comprised largely of a who’s who list of the telco and cable giants opposed to net neutrality: Verizon, Comcast, and the like.