Amazon's Prime Predicament: FTC Anti-Trust Battle Unfolds

Amazon is facing allegations from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for enrolling customers into Prime memberships without their explicit consent. The trial, which began with opening statements, is a significant test of the FTC's aggressive stance against tech giants.

The FTC argues that Amazon deliberately complicated the Prime sign-up and cancellation processes to inflate membership numbers, thus boosting revenue. Amazon attorney Moez Kaba refuted these claims, asserting the transparency of their terms and ease of cancellation. He accused the FTC of distorting evidence.

The proceeding is a part of broader FTC actions against deceptive subscription practices. The outcome could cost Amazon hundreds of millions in fines and possibly tarnish its customer-friendly image. The trial includes testimonies from Amazon customers and current and former employees and is expected to last about a month.