collusion

1 of 3 | Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, delivers remarks during a White House fraud task force meeting March 27 in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House in Washington, D.C. Three U.S. ad companies settled with the FTC on Wednesday over alleged collusion. File Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo

April 15 (UPI) — U.S. advertising companies Dentsu, Publicis and WPP settled Wednesday with the Federal Trade Commission, which claimed they colluded over anti-misinformation policies that affected ad money for conservative publishers. The companies did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

In a press release, the FTC said the agencies “distorted America’s modern public square” and worked together to establish “brand safety” policies that limited the ads that could run on sites with content designated as misinformation. This affected ad revenues for conservative political websites and made it more difficult for them to make money from “disfavored political viewpoints,” the FTC release said. The commission filed a complaint Wednesday in the U.S.District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

A court must approve the settlement. The companies agreed not to collude to restrict ad-buying services over “news and political and social commentary content,” the FTC said.

The New York Times reported that a representative for Dentsu said the company was “fully committed to operating transparently, with integrity and in strict compliance with all applicable laws.” A representative for WPP told that Times the agreement “reflects our existing and ongoing commitment to provide our clients with unbiased advice as they decide where to place their media.” The companies own multiple ad agencies and buy digital ads on behalf of advertisers.

FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said in the release that the agencies’ brand safety policies “turned competition in the market for ad-buying services on its head.” The collusion, he said, “distorted the marketplace of ideas by discriminating against speech and ideas that fell below the unlawfully agreed-on floor.”

This follows a longstanding claim by the Trump administration that the media and websites treat conservatives unfairly. Ferguson and the FTC in 2025 also opened other inquiries into alleged anti-conservative censorship through online content moderation.

April 10 (Asia Today) — A South Korean Christian group called for an end to political entanglement with religion ahead of upcoming local elections, warning such practices could undermine the church.

The group, Start with Me Forum, issued a declaration after holding its fifth forum in Seoul on Thursday, urging believers to reject improper ties between faith and politics.

“Prayer must not become lobbying for a candidate, and offerings must not be turned into political funds,” the group said. “If the faith community becomes a vote bank, the church will collapse.”

The forum was led by Rev. Ryu Young-mo, who emphasized the need to break what he described as a long-standing pattern of using religion for political power.

Participants said the risk of religion being used as a political tool is increasing ahead of the June 3 local elections, calling for “painful self-reflection” within the Protestant community.

The declaration rejected both political forces seeking to influence religious groups for votes and religious organizations aligning with politics for institutional benefits, stressing the need to uphold the separation of church and state.

At the same time, the group opposed a proposed bill aimed at preventing church-state collusion, arguing it could infringe on religious freedom as well as freedoms of expression and association.

Speakers at the forum also highlighted broader concerns about religious involvement in politics. Professor Tak Ji-il said inappropriate ties with political power are not limited to fringe groups but affect mainstream churches as well.

“It is urgent for churches to establish safeguards to prevent irrational behavior carried out in the name of orthodoxy,” he said.

The forum included discussions on patterns of political participation among Korean Protestant churches and historical debates over church-state separation.

The organization was founded in 2017 to promote reform within the Korean church and encourage greater social responsibility among believers.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260410010003228