The news: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Amazon on Wednesday, accusing the company of enrolling millions of consumers into the Prime subscription service without their consent and making it difficult for them to cancel. What happened: Since March 2021, the FTC has been probing Amazon Prime's sign-up and cancellation practices. The lawsuit filed by the FTC accuses Amazon of employing deceptive design tactics, referred to as "dark patterns," to trick users into renewing their Prime subscriptions. Amazon has yet to provide a response. What the numbers say: Amazon raked in $35.2B in revenue from Prime and other subscriptions in 2022, an 1,150% increase since 2014. The FTC claims that Amazon generates around $25B in revenue annually from only Prime, which costs consumers around $15 per month, or $139 a year. The agency claims Amazon's focus is on expanding its Prime membership base, which already exceeds 200 million global subscribers, including 162 million in the U.S. Why it matters: The move is part of a broader effort by regulators to curb the power of tech giants. FTC Chair Lina Khan has been advocating for more robust enforcement of antitrust and consumer protection laws. Amazon has previously reached settlements with the FTC, including a case involving Alexa devices collecting children's data. 
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