Words fail.

The former privacy officer of Internet advertising giant DoubleClick will be the Department of Homeland Security’s first privacy czar, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced today.

I’m just speechless. DoubleClick, for those who don’t follow web news or whip themselves into a tizzy at EFF newsletters, is an online advertising firm. If you’ve seen a hellaciously annoying banner ad in the past few years, DoubleClick is most likely the source.

Let’s put it this way. DoubleClick knows a lot about privacy, because they’ve been selling yours for the last several years. Putting a DoubleClick officer in charge of Homeland Security’s privacy center is like putting a fox in charge of the Hen Protection Agency. I can’t pull together enough outrage to sputter, really – it’s just absurd, and makes me want to laugh.