Microsoft Corp. is joining Ask.com in offering Web surfers a way to use its search engines anonymously, and the two companies are now calling on the search and online advertising industry to develop a common set of privacy practices.

EBay Inc. is getting into the radio advertising business, becoming a broker of ad spots and on its way to competing with Google Inc., which provides a similar service.

Microsoft Corp. plans to acquire aQuantive Inc., a digital marketing services agency, for around US$6 billion in order to grow its Internet advertising business, it was announced Friday.

News Corp. and NBC Universal will challenge Google Inc.'s YouTube for online eyeballs and advertising dollars by launching a video-streaming Web site by the third quarter, News Corp. announced Thursday.

Google Inc. will provide more data and tools to help its advertisers assess and combat click fraud, a controversial practice that is the biggest enemy of the otherwise highly popular and profitable online advertising model known as pay per click.

In continuing efforts to expand its online advertising business, Google Inc. will distribute ad-supported video content from Viacom International Inc.'s MTV Networks to Web sites in its extensive advertising network.

Google Inc. will soon begin selling video advertisements on the Web, opening a new front in its battle for a bigger slice of the online advertising market.

Microsoft Corp. plans to give users a first look at its Office Live hosted service on Wednesday, according to the company. Microsoft plans to offer the service in three versions, one of which will be advertising-supported and free of charge to customers.

When 21-year-old British student Alex Tew needed to raise money to pay for his university, he came up with an idea many might dismiss as wishful thinking: raise US$1 million by selling 1 million pixels worth of advertising space on his Web site for $1 each.