The FTC sent civil investigative demands to top ad agencies, including Omnicom, WPP, Dentsu, Publicis Groupe, Interpublic Group, Havas and Horizon Media|Alpha Photo|CC BY-NC 2.0
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether major ad agencies and media watchdogs coordinated illegal ad boycotts of sites, including Elon Musk-owned X social media platform.
On Monday, the FTC sent civil investigative demands to top firms, including WPP, Omnicom, Dentsu, Publicis, Interpublic, Havas and Horizon Media.
The agency is also looking at watchdog groups like Media Matters and Ad Fontes Media, which rate news sources and track misinformation.
The move comes after many brands stopped advertising on X due to concerns over offensive content. The Musk company sued major advertisers like CVS, Mars and Colgate-Palmolive, claiming they unfairly worked together to block ads.
The FTC is now reviewing if these acts amount to antitrust violations.