In today’s digest: Publicis reaches settlement with the FTC over its planned LiveRamp acquisition, a New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $25bn (£19bn) in penalties over misleading users on privacy, and retail media firm Kevel raises $52m (£19bn) and eyes acquisitions.

Publicis settles with FTC

Publicis Groupe has reached an agreement with the US Federal Trade Commission over its planned acquisition of LiveRamp, a deal it expects to close before the end of the year. In a statement dated 19th October, Publicis described the settlement as mutually acceptable and based on commitments the group put forward itself. It said LiveRamp’s neutrality and independence are central to the data firm’s business model.

Publicis set out five pledges that LiveRamp’s leadership had already reaffirmed to clients. They cover clients’ freedom to use LiveRamp’s products independently, fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access for all, client control over their own data, interoperability with third-party agencies and platforms, and periodic independent audits. The statement does not spell out the FTC’s formal terms.

Judge orders Meta to pay $25bn

A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $25bn (£19bn) in penalties, following a jury verdict in September that found the company misled users about the privacy of their data, according to Axios. The ruling comes nearly a decade after the Cambridge Analytica scandal first came to light, with the penalties tied to that controversy. 

Details including the legal basis for the figure, Meta’s response and any plans to appeal were not yet available.

Kevel raises $52m Series D and eyes acquisitions

Retail media infrastructure company Kevel has raised a $52m (£39.5m) Series D, bringing its total funding to just over $100m (£76m), and plans to spend part of it on acquisitions. Investors include Fulcrum Equity Partners, Dunnhumby Ventures, Iberis Capital and ORIX USA. Founder and CEO James Avery told AdExchanger that consolidation is coming as many retail media players chase the same customers, and that vendors in adjacent areas would make sense as targets. Kevel is close to profitability, which Avery expects it to reach by year-end.

Kevel’s pitch centres on transparent AI decision-making, so retailers can see what drove prices and why a decision was made. It is working with Dunnhumby on an alliance that lets brands buy across Tesco, John Lewis and Kingfisher in one purchase, and has set up API-based buying with Pacvue and Skai, as well as a link between Dollar General and The Trade Desk.