Yahoo Acquires Inktomi: Implications For Data Privacy And Control

Looks like what little privacy we enjoy online is about to dwindle even further. Ho, ho, ho, boys and girls. Yahoo's announcement this week that it plans to acquire search-engine powerhouse Inktomi for $235 million raises all sorts of troubling . . . Looks like what little privacy we enjoy online is about to dwindle even further. Ho, ho, ho, boys and girls. Yahoo's announcement this week that it plans to acquire search-engine powerhouse Inktomi for $235 million raises all sorts of troubling questions about who controls information in the electronic ether, as well as how that info gets exploited for commercial gain.

On the face of it, Yahoo is getting itself a good deal. Buying Foster City's Inktomi, which provides the nuts and bolts for searches on Microsoft's MSN portal and other sites, will give Yahoo an important new tool (and revenue source) in an increasingly competitive marketplace. It also will allow Sunnyvale's Yahoo to thumb its nose at Google, which provides the guts of Yahoo's searches but is a rival for much-needed advertising dollars.

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