Google said Monday that it has asked European Union regulators to approve its pending $3.1-billion purchase of Internet ad targeting colossus DoubleClick.
"We ourselves asked the European Commission to look at the proposed acquisition, as we believe it is good for users and advertisers and it fosters competition," Google spokeswoman Emmanuelle Flahault-Franc said.
The California-based Internet search powerhouse submitted a filing with the European Union asking it to approve the DoubleClick purchase, according to Flahault-Franc.
The commission set an initial review deadline of October 26.
Privacy advocates warn that Google's takeover of DoubleClick would give the Internet giant unprecedented access to personal data of Web users worldwide.
Google maintains that there is "no basis" for concern. DoubleClick said that Google "would not be able to match its search data to the data collected by DoubleClick" because of contractual restrictions.
Google rivals Yahoo and Microsoft have expressed concerns regarding how the acquisition might effect competition and privacy online.
DoubleClick and Google, along with many other Internet firms, install software bits called "cookies" on people's computers to track when Internet users visit Web pages, click on an ads, or log into Web sites.
Companies say that this simplifies browsing for users who repeatedly visit certain Web sites, but it also allows browsing habits to be tracked back to the individual computer or user.
DoubleClick came under fire several years ago from consumer advocacy groups that accused it of using "cookies" without getting permission from the Internet users. It negotiated a settlement in 2002 that included being more open about what data it keeps while agreeing to purge some of the data that it stores within three months of its collection.
Google seeks EU blessing of DoubleClick buy
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