The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on 19 October a proposed consent order for Publicis Groupe's acquisition of LiveRamp, valued at $2.2 billion. For five years, Publicis must give competitors non-discriminatory access to LiveRamp's services, put firewalls around customer data and accept an independent monitor. The order was approved by a 2-0 vote and is open to public comment for 30 days.

What it means: LiveRamp is one of the core infrastructures of digital advertising: it links customer data from different sources so advertisers can target and measure campaigns without exchanging raw personal data. Many of Publicis's competitors, other agency groups and platforms, rely on these services. The FTC's concern was that after the deal Publicis could restrict or raise the price of competitors' access, or gain access to their confidential data. The conditions address exactly that: mandatory access on equal terms, data separation and outside oversight. This type of behavioural commitment, rather than a ban or divestiture, is more common at today's FTC. The five-year term means that once it ends, the market should have enough competition to stop the problem returning. The deal may also draw attention from European competition and data protection authorities, since both Publicis and LiveRamp have a large presence in Europe. For advertisers, the key question is whether identity services stay neutral towards all agency groups.

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