A federal trial has commenced to determine if Amazon forced its customers to run a digital gauntlet to manage their Prime subscriptions. The Federal Trade Commission alleges the company used a one-two punch of deceptive enrollment tactics and a deliberately obstructive cancellation process to manipulate millions of users.
The government’s case details how Amazon allegedly employed “dark patterns” during its checkout procedure. These design tricks, the FTC claims, were meant to confuse customers and steer them into signing up for the $139-a-year Prime service, often without their full understanding or consent. The complaint highlights the use of prominent sign-up buttons versus hidden decline links.
Once a customer was enrolled, they faced what the FTC calls the “Iliad” cancellation flow. This multi-step, convoluted process was not a mistake, the government argues, but a calculated strategy to retain subscribers by making the exit path as frustrating and difficult as possible. The internal codename is being presented as key evidence of intent.
This trial is a significant part of the U.S. government’s ongoing effort to assert regulatory control over the tech industry. It represents a major test of the FTC’s authority to police user interface design as a consumer protection issue. The agency is seeking substantial financial penalties and a court order to force Amazon to reform its practices.
Amazon is defending its business model, arguing that its processes are and have been lawful. The company asserts that the FTC is mischaracterizing its design choices and that it has already updated its subscription management tools to be more user-friendly, rendering the lawsuit unnecessary. A jury in Seattle will now hear the evidence and decide the case.