FTC Investigation Into Amazon Prime Dark Patterns Intensifies

The Federal Trade Commission has reportedly deepened its investigation into Amazon’s employment of dark patterns in the Amazon Prime subscription cancellation process. As EPIC explained in a complaint to the D.C. Attorney General last year, Amazon employs dark patterns to deter customers from canceling their Prime subscriptions, enabling Amazon to continue collecting, retaining, and using misdirected subscribers’ personal data. EPIC’s complaint built on prior research by the Norwegian Consumer Council. EPIC and coalition partners have also urged the FTC to investigate Amazon and Google‘s use of deceptive user interfaces. According to Business Insider, the FTC has subpoenaed some current and former Amazon employees as part of its investigation.