_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Three major advertising agencies settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week over allegations they colluded to restrict ad placements on media outlets based on political content. Dentsu, Publicis, and WPP were accused of working together since 2018 to establish common "brand safety" standards that effectively steered ad dollars away from conservative publishers and platforms like X.
The settlement, joined by eight Republican-led states, prevents the agencies from entering into agreements that limit ad buying based on a publisher's political viewpoints or news commentary. The companies did not admit wrongdoing but will face court-ordered monitoring for five years.
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