Headline Roundup • June 21st, 2023
FTC Sues Amazon for Allegedly Tricking Millions Into Prime Subscriptions
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday for using “manipulative” practices to trick “millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime.”
Key Quotes: In a statement, the FTC said, “Specifically, Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs known as ‘dark patterns’ to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically-renewing Prime subscriptions.” Furthermore, the agency added, “Amazon also knowingly complicated the cancellation process for Prime subscribers who sought to end their membership. The primary purpose of its Prime cancellation process was not to enable subscribers to cancel, but to stop them.”
For Context: FTC Chair Lina Khan has long been an outspoken critic of Amazon, and reports in early 2023 suggested the FTC was gearing up to bring legal action against the e-commerce giant on several fronts. Recent data suggests there are about 149 million Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. — about double the nation’s reported number of gun owners.
How the Media Covered It: While most news coverage highlighted quotes like “deceptive,” Fox Business (Lean Right bias) appeared more skeptical, instead spelling out the allegations and adding “so-called” before “dark patterns.” On the other hand, The Verge (Lean Left bias) used the “alleged” qualifier less frequently than other outlets did.
Featured Coverage of this Story
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg / Getty Images
The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging the retailer worked for years to enroll consumers into its Prime service without their consent, while knowingly making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.
The complaint, which was filed in federal court in Seattle, alleges that Amazon used “manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs” to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions.
“Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” said FTC Chair Lina M....
Alex Castro / The Verge
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon for enrolling customers in its Prime program without their consent and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.
In its complaint filed Wednesday, the FTC accuses Amazon of “knowingly” deceiving millions of customers into subscribing to Amazon Prime through the use of “dark patterns.” Specifically, the FTC describes how Amazon’s checkout process would allegedly present customers several options to subscribe to Prime, making it difficult to locate the option to simply finish a purchase. The commission also alleges that Amazon required...
Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday accused online retail giant Amazon of underhanded practices to keep customers enrolled in its Prime program, in a complaint filed in federal court.
The FTC is accusing Amazon of intentionally manipulating consumers into subscribing to Amazon Prime via "coercive or deceptive user-interface designs" known as "dark patterns."
"Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money," FTC Chair Lina Khan said.
