FTC pushes ad agencies into dropping brand safety rules

"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a group of eight states have announced a proposed settlement with big ad agencies that will prevent them from working together to avoid certain platforms like X based on their political viewpoints."

"In a complaint, the FTC argues that ad agencies violated antitrust rules by agreeing to a common set of brand safety rules, which would disfavor sites and services deemed to contain content like misinformation."

"If a federal judge approves the order, the ad agencies WPP, Publicis, and Dentsu will be prevented from making agreements with other ad agencies that would limit buying ads on any publisher 'with respect to its news and political or social commentary content.'"

The FTC and eight states proposed a settlement with major ad agencies to prevent collusion against platforms like X based on political views. The FTC claims these agencies violated antitrust laws by creating brand safety rules that discriminated against certain content. The now-defunct Global Alliance for Responsible Media was involved in these efforts. A judge recently dismissed a related lawsuit from X, stating the alleged conspiracy did not constitute an antitrust claim. If approved, the settlement will restrict agreements among ad agencies regarding ad purchases on politically sensitive content.

Read at The Verge