The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of using deceptive user interface designs to trick consumers into signing up for its Prime subscription service. The complaint alleges that Amazon made it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions, creating a “labyrinthine” cancellation process. The FTC claims that Amazon used manipulative and coercive tactics known as “dark patterns” to enrol consumers in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions. Amazon, however, denies the claims and says it looks forward to proving its case in court. This lawsuit represents the FTC’s most significant action against practices that harm consumers using psychological gimmicks. Amazon’s Prime subscription service has over 200 million paid subscribers and generates substantial revenue for the company. This is the first major lawsuit filed against Amazon by FTC Chair Lina Khan, who has been vocal about potential antitrust issues involving tech platforms.
