From One Click to a Labyrinth: The FTC’s Deception Case Against Amazon

A federal trial has begun that scrutinizes the stark contrast between the ease of joining Amazon Prime and the alleged difficulty of leaving it. The Federal Trade Commission accuses Amazon of creating a deceptive system where a single click could start a subscription, but canceling it required navigating a “labyrinth” designed to deter users.
The lawsuit alleges that Amazon employed “dark patterns” to achieve this. At checkout, customers were allegedly funneled towards Prime enrollment through manipulative design. The FTC argues that the option to proceed without a subscription was deliberately made less visible and harder to access, leading to a high rate of unintentional sign-ups.
The complexity of the cancellation process, internally nicknamed “Iliad,” is a central focus of the trial. The FTC is using this codename as evidence that Amazon was aware of the system’s difficulty. The government claims this process was not a bug but a feature, intended to minimize cancellations by making the experience as frustrating as possible.
This legal action is a clear signal of the U.S. government’s intent to more closely regulate the digital economy. The case against Amazon is one of the most prominent examples of this new, more aggressive approach to consumer protection in the tech sector. The FTC is seeking significant monetary penalties and a permanent change in Amazon’s business practices.
Amazon is defending its record, arguing that the Prime service has always offered clear value and transparent terms. The company’s lawyers contend that the FTC is overstating the complexity of its old systems and ignoring recent updates that have streamlined the process. The jury’s decision will have far-reaching consequences for how subscription services are managed online.