Advertising giants WPP, Publicis, and Dentsu on Wednesday agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and a handful of U.S. states over allegations that, since 2018, the teams illegally colluded to implement model security requirements that may direct advertisers’ budgets away from sure media platforms and publishers. Collusion on these model security requirements led to an efficient boycott of conservative media platforms, the federal government concluded.
“The ad agencies’ brand-safety conspiracy turned competition in the market for ad-buying services on its head,” FTC chair Andrew Ferguson stated in an announcement. “The antitrust laws guarantee participation in a market free from conduct, such as economic boycotts, that distort the fundamental competitive pressures that promote lower prices, higher quality products and increased innovation.”