The House Oversight Committee is set to investigate allegations that a "collusive" ad group is targeting conservatives.

The advertising alliance has been scrutinized by a powerful House committee, with critics accusing it of promoting corporate collusion to suppress political messages.

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) is a cross-industry initiative launched in 2019 by the World Federation of Advertisers to tackle the issue of illegal or harmful content on digital media platforms and its monetization through advertising.

"The spokesperson informed Planet Chronicle Digital that the platform was established in response to the Christchurch Mosque shootings, where the perpetrator streamed the attacks on Facebook. This move came after a series of high-profile cases where brands' ads appeared alongside illegal or harmful content, such as child pornography and content promoting terrorism. An example of this is the 2017 London Times exposé titled "Big brands fund terror through online adverts.""

The group claims to be "apolitical" and "voluntary," stating that it benefits its members by providing access to "resources and information about best practices to ensure their advertising investments align with their values and avoid harmful content that could damage their brands' reputation."

According to GARM's website, they provide voluntary frameworks to assist brands in selecting the content they want their advertisements to be displayed alongside.

GARM has been accused by its critics of colluding with major U.S. corporations to push boycotts and suppress speech, specifically targeting conservatives.

Rob Rakowitz, the leader and co-founder of GARM, has expressed frustration with an "extreme global interpretation of the US Constitution" and complained about using "‘principles for governance’ and applying them as literal law from 230 years ago (made by white men exclusively)." As a result, GARM pushed for "uncommon collaboration" to "rise above individual commercial interest."

The House Judiciary Committee published a comprehensive report detailing its view that "large corporations, advertising agencies, and industry associations engaged in boycotts and other coordinated efforts to discredit platforms, podcasts, news outlets, and other content that GARM and its members deemed unfavorable."

It is claimed that GARM collaborated with major corporations to enforce advertising restrictions on Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Spotify, political candidates, and news outlets, including Planet Chronicle, The Daily Wire, and Breitbart News.

Jim Jordan, Committee Chairman, wrote to over 40 companies last week, stating that GARM has deviated from its original intent and used its market power to demonetize voices and viewpoints it disagrees with, even intervening in situations without a brand safety concern.

"The Committee has discovered that collusion is taking place among GARM members, including your company, through their oversight. Specifically, the Committee has found evidence of coordinated action by GARM and its members, including boycotts of certain social media platforms, podcasts, and news outlets."

The Committee on the Judiciary is overseeing the effectiveness and enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws, according to the letter.

GARM was involved with a number of companies, including Adidas, American Express, Bayer, BP, Carhartt, Chanel, CVS, and General Motors, and letters were sent to these companies requesting them to preserve any related documents.

GARM has been criticized by Musk, who has suggested legal action against the group and referred to it as an "advertising boycott racket."

GARM has been falsely accused of anti-competitive behavior by the US House Judiciary Committee, according to Will Gilroy, the WFA spokesperson.

"GARM's membership is voluntary, and its frameworks and tools are designed to be broad, allowing individual companies to review, adopt, modify, or reject them as they see fit. The decision to advertise and when to do so is always up to the individual advertiser, in collaboration with their agency partners where necessary."

"GARM's work remains valuable and increasingly relevant as digital media continues to develop, according to recent engagement with industry leaders. As a result, GARM will continue to fulfill its commitment to help its members practice responsible marketing."