Chairman Jordan Subpoenas GARM and WFA for Documents and Communications
May 5, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) subpoenaed top officials from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) for documents and communications related to their coordinated efforts to demonetize and censor disfavored speech online.
GARM and the WFA appear to facilitate collusion among their members in a manner that may violate U.S. antitrust law. To advance the Committee’s oversight and inform potential legislation related to these collusive practices, the Committee must understand whether, how, and to what extent GARM and WFA facilitate collusion to prevent certain content from benefitting from advertising dollars and to reduce that content’s presence online.
On March 22, 2023, the Committee sent a letter to GARM and WFA requesting documents and communications for its investigation. To date, more than six weeks after the Committee’s initial letter, and despite assurances of cooperation, neither GARM nor WFA have produced a single document in response to the Committee’s requests. The Committee is charged with conducting oversight of the adequacy and enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws, and GARM’s and WFA’s responses without compulsory process have been inadequate.
Read the full subpoena cover letter to GARM here.
Read the full subpoena cover letter to the WFA here.
GARM and the WFA appear to facilitate collusion among their members in a manner that may violate U.S. antitrust law. To advance the Committee’s oversight and inform potential legislation related to these collusive practices, the Committee must understand whether, how, and to what extent GARM and WFA facilitate collusion to prevent certain content from benefitting from advertising dollars and to reduce that content’s presence online.
On March 22, 2023, the Committee sent a letter to GARM and WFA requesting documents and communications for its investigation. To date, more than six weeks after the Committee’s initial letter, and despite assurances of cooperation, neither GARM nor WFA have produced a single document in response to the Committee’s requests. The Committee is charged with conducting oversight of the adequacy and enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws, and GARM’s and WFA’s responses without compulsory process have been inadequate.
Read the full subpoena cover letter to GARM here.
Read the full subpoena cover letter to the WFA here.
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