The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon for ‘deceptive’ practices on Wednesday, alleging they deceived millions of customers into signing up for Amazon Prime.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging the online retailing giant had enrolled customers in Amazon Prime without their consent and sabotaged their attempts to cancel.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges that Amazon was using “dark patterns,” which are deceptive design tactics intended to guide customers toward a specific choice. The FTC alleged that Amazon pushed millions of users into signing up for Amazon Prime unwillingly, according to an FTC press release.
1. @FTC has taken action against @amazon for tricking users into signing up for Prime subscriptions—and then deliberately making it hard to cancel. We charge that these deceptive tactics violate the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. https://t.co/ud2j3xmFQ0
— Lina Khan (@linakhanFTC) June 21, 2023
“Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan said in the press release.
