Regulators in the US are being urged to investigate any potential online advertising and search partnership between Google and Yahoo. The call by a coalition of 16 American civil rights and rural advocacy bodies comes despite the fact no firm deal has actually been announced. “We all suffer in such mega mergers,” said Gary Flowers of the Black Leadership Forum.
Shouldn’t companies be allowed to do whatever they want?
Almost anything except coercion in the form of force and perjury.
How does libertarianism deal with “perjury” (and I believe by that you mean false advertising) ?
If, by perjury, they mean ‘intentional deception’, that’s fraud, and damages can be collected.
Actual damage would need to be proven, however. Some joker who feels trivialized because his page didn’t come up first in a search would have to prove he was actively damaged, not just “would have done better if they’d designed their search differently”. Failure to get a benefit that one has not contracted for is not damage.
Of course, I speak only for myself - I’m unaware of any “official” libertarian policy in this.
Danno
Rural advocacy bodies?
In the story this is the group I found.
And yes, google and yahoo! should be able to do whatever they want in respects to their businesses. I cannot figure out why the American Agriculture Movement would ever care about this.
I do: Headlines.