Did Amazon Deceive You? Federal Trial Probes Prime Subscription Allegations

A question that may have crossed the minds of many Amazon customers—”Did I mean to sign up for Prime?”—is now at the center of a federal trial. The U.S. government is suing Amazon, alleging that the company deliberately deceived millions of consumers into enrolling and then made it a nightmare to cancel.
The trial will feature evidence from the Federal Trade Commission about Amazon’s use of “dark patterns.” These are manipulative design choices in the checkout process that allegedly made it easy to accidentally subscribe to Prime but hard to avoid it. The FTC claims this was a known issue that Amazon exploited for profit.
The lawsuit also highlights the internal nickname for the cancellation process: “Iliad.” The FTC argues this name is a confession in itself, proving that Amazon was aware of the system’s epic difficulty. This “labyrinthine” process is being presented as an illegal tactic to retain subscribers against their will.
This trial is a high-stakes confrontation between the U.S. government and one of its most powerful corporations. It reflects a growing determination in Washington to enforce consumer protection laws in the tech sector, which has long resisted regulation. A loss for Amazon could result in massive fines and a complete overhaul of its subscription practices.
Amazon is fighting the lawsuit, arguing that its subscription process has always been transparent and that the FTC’s claims are outdated. The company’s lawyers will argue that it has made continuous improvements to its user interface to enhance clarity. The trial is expected to last about four weeks and will hinge on internal corporate communications.