The French antitrust authority has announced that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has two months to revise its access rules for advertising verification partners. The regulator claims that Meta may be exploiting its dominant position in the online advertising market unfairly.
In an official statement, the competition authority emphasized that Meta needs to establish new access criteria for partners who wish to utilize its analytical tools. These tools are crucial for determining whether online ad campaigns have reached actual viewers and ensuring that ads do not appear in contexts that could damage a brand’s reputation.
The new access criteria must adhere to standards of transparency, objectivity, non-discrimination, and proportionality, according to the regulator.
A spokesperson for Meta responded by stating, “We are reviewing the interim decision and considering all our options” in an email communication.
Advertising verification companies perform essential services, such as quantifying the number of views online ads receive, identifying fraudulent traffic, and safeguarding client ads from appearing on inappropriate websites, including those featuring adult content.
The competition authority noted that Meta’s selective, invite-only methodology restricts data access to only the largest players in the industry, potentially resulting in discriminatory practices in the areas of “viewability” and “brand safety.”
This case arose from a complaint filed by Adloox, a small, independent ad verification firm from France. Adloox had sought access to Meta’s data for these services between 2016 and 2022 without success.
After Adloox lodged a complaint with the competition authority last year, the authority found that the barriers erected by Meta represented an “immediate and grave” risk not only for Adloox but also for the independent ad verification sector more broadly.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
