Facebook owner Meta makes antitrust commitments over online advertising (updated)

Criteo SA (Pre-Reincorporation)

16/06/2022 11:17

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    By Mathieu Rosemain
    PARIS, June 16 (Reuters) - France's anti-trust watchdog body
said on Thursday that it had approved commitments made by
Facebook owner Meta Platforms  META.O  regarding the French
online advertising sector.
    Meta has committed to giving access over a five-year period
to advertising inventories and campaign data to so-called
advertising technology companies on transparent, objective and
predictable conditions, the French regulator said.
    "It's the first time Meta makes commitments to a competition
authority (over the ad sector)," said the French competition
authority's vice-chairman Henri Piffaut.
    Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
    The antitrust decision follows a complaint by French online
advertising group Criteo  CRTO.O . 
    Meta provides access to the advertising data through Meta
Business Partner and it has committed that ad tech companies can
access it when a level of spending is met on its interface. 
    The commitments made by Meta are applicable for ad
inventories on all Meta's platforms, including Facebook and
Instagram, the watchdog said. 
    The commitments also apply to ad tech companies that
participated in at least one ad campaign seen by Meta's users in
France, the authority said.  
    Ad tech companies exploit data collected online to
participate in online ad campaigns, aiming to target Internet
users with messages that fit their tastes.
    The antitrust authority's general aim is to offer
non-discriminatory market conditions to the growing number of
companies that have emerged in the online sector.
    "You can develop an ecosystem but it shouldn't exclude a
competitor," Piffaut said. 
    In May, Germany's cartel office had said Meta Platforms Inc
had "paramount significance for competition across markets",
marking a classification which gave Germany more leeway to curb
digital companies' market power. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2WW3EU

 (Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain;
Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Jane Merriman)
 ((sudip.kargupta@thomsonreuters.com; +33 1 49 49 53 84;))