The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused Amazon of deceiving customers into purchasing Prime memberships, then making it extremely difficult for customers to cancel their subscriptions. In a complaint filed in federal court on Wednesday, the FTC alleged Amazon designed its website and apps to lure customers into purchasing a Prime membership that automatically renews on a regular basis. A design that tricks customers into doing something they probably would not otherwise do is known as a “dark pattern,” and the FTC claims Amazon’s website is full of them that are meant to drive subscriptions to Prime. ‘Manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike’ Lina M. Khan, the chairperson of the FTC, said in a statement: .stk-f7a1336{box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(120,120,120,0.1) !important}.stk-f7a1336-container{background-color:#f3f3f3 !important}.stk-f7a1336-container:before{background-color:#f3f3f3 !important} .stk-fff85bd{margin-left:-20px !important}.stk-fff85bd .stk–svg-wrapper .stk–inner-svg svg:last-child{opacity:0.7 !important}.stk-fff85bd .stk–svg-wrapper .stk–inner-svg svg:last-child,.stk-fff85bd .stk–svg-wrapper .stk–inner-svg svg:last-child :is(g,path,rect,polygon,ellipse){fill:var(–stk-global-color-56583,#911d9c) !important} .stk-75422ff{margin-left:-17px !important}.stk-75422ff .stk-block-text__text{font-size:16px !important;font-weight:300 !important;font-style:normal !important;font-family:”Golos Text”,Sans-serif !important}@media screen and (max-width:1023px){.stk-75422ff .stk-block-text__text{font-size:16px !important}}“Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money.” Among other things, the FTC says Amazon shoppers who don’t already have a Prime membership are given multiple opportunities to sign up when they try to buy something on the website. In some cases, it can be difficult for shoppers to find a way to opt out of purchasing a Prime membership when they buy things from the store, the FTC said. To make matters worse, the FTC said Amazon’s website was carefully orchestrated to make it difficult…FTC says Amazon tricks customers into subscribing to Prime