Facebook needs to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp, say 2 big new lawsuits

Hi! Welcome to the Insider Advertising daily for December 10. I'm Lauren Johnson, a senior advertising reporter at Business Insider. Subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Send me feedback or tips at LJohnson@businessinsider.com.

Today's news: The FTC calls for Facebook to be broken up, Twitter audits brand-safety tools, and Dentsu staffers worry about job cuts.

Facebook hit with 2 massive antitrust lawsuits from the FTC and 46 states seeking to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp

• Facebook was hit on Wednesday with two big antitrust lawsuits, one from the Federal Trade Commission and one from 48 state attorneys general.
• The lawsuits are seeking a breakup of Instagram and WhatsApp from Facebook.
• The lawsuits allege that Facebook used a strategy of neutralizing competitors before they could threaten the company's dominance of the social-media market.

Read the full story here.

Twitter lays out the steps it's taking to make advertisers feel safe on its platform

• Lara O'Reilly reports on how Twitter is trying to get its brand safety controls and measurement metrics independently audited by the Media Rating Council.
• The company is also set to announce partnerships with third-party brand safety software firms and conducting research into how consumers view ads when they appear next to unsavory content.
• Advertisers have long pushed tech platforms for more controls to help steer their ads away from harmful content.

Read the full story here.

At advertising giant Dentsu, people worry about huge job cuts and mull the growing influence of data agency Merkle

• Japan-based ad holding company Dentsu is laying off 6,000 people, or 12.5%, and restructuring.
• We talked to employees who say they're worried about job cuts and speculate that Dentsu is betting on its performance-marketing business Merkle while folding or merging most of its other agencies.
• Dentsu will create three practice areas to be led in the Americas by executives from Dentsumcgarrybowen, Merkle, and 360i.

Read the full story here.

More stories we're reading:

• How much money TikTok stars make from brand deals, according to 9 creators (Business Insider)
• The influencer industry's latest open secret: using ghostwriters to respond to OnlyFans messages (Business Insider)
• Starbucks taps Mellody Hobson - on the Biden cabinet short-list - as board chair, making her the only Black female director among the largest companies in America (Business Insider)
• Scoop: Google to lift post-election political ad ban on Dec. 10 (Axios)
• Brian Lesser named CEO of InfoSum (Adweek)
• Meditation app Headspace gets its own Netflix show (Hollywood Reporter)

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! You can reach me in the meantime at LJohnson@businessinsider.com and subscribe to this daily email here.