The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee said it plans to hold a hearing later this year on the online advertising market and other issues related to Microsoft's bid to buy Yahoo. That makes three congressional panels planning hearings on Microsoft Corp.'s $41 billion unsolicited offer, which Yahoo Inc. hasn't yet accepted.
The House Judiciary Committee said last week it would hold a hearing on the deal, while the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel also said it would examine the transaction if it proceeds.
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, said in a statement the "recent announcement by Microsoft demonstrates that consolidation of companies in the Internet advertising world will continue," whether Yahoo accepts the software giant's offer or not.
The hearing will be scheduled this spring, Rush said in a statement, and will focus on privacy issues raised by the consolidation of online search and advertising companies. The subcommittee will also request a "confidential briefing" from regulators before it reviews the deal, Rush said.
The privacy concerns surrounding the Microsoft-Yahoo deal center on the amount of consumer data collected by the two companies, consumer advocates said.
"There's no question that the merging of the data collection and (advertising) targeting platforms would raise serious privacy concerns," said Jeffrey Chester, president of the Center for Digital Democracy.
The CDD and other groups raised similar objections last year when Google Inc. purchased online ad services provider DoubleClick Inc. That deal was approved in December by the Federal Trade Commission.
Microsoft's shares dropped $1.12, or 3.7 percent, to close at $29.07. Yahoo shares fell 35 cents to finish at $28.98.
The House Judiciary Committee said last week it would hold a hearing on the deal, while the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel also said it would examine the transaction if it proceeds.
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, said in a statement the "recent announcement by Microsoft demonstrates that consolidation of companies in the Internet advertising world will continue," whether Yahoo accepts the software giant's offer or not.
The hearing will be scheduled this spring, Rush said in a statement, and will focus on privacy issues raised by the consolidation of online search and advertising companies. The subcommittee will also request a "confidential briefing" from regulators before it reviews the deal, Rush said.
The privacy concerns surrounding the Microsoft-Yahoo deal center on the amount of consumer data collected by the two companies, consumer advocates said.
"There's no question that the merging of the data collection and (advertising) targeting platforms would raise serious privacy concerns," said Jeffrey Chester, president of the Center for Digital Democracy.
The CDD and other groups raised similar objections last year when Google Inc. purchased online ad services provider DoubleClick Inc. That deal was approved in December by the Federal Trade Commission.
Microsoft's shares dropped $1.12, or 3.7 percent, to close at $29.07. Yahoo shares fell 35 cents to finish at $28.98.
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