Prof. Prentiss Cox ’90 Quoted by Wall Street Journal About Lawsuit Against Amazon for Subscription Tactics

Professor Prentiss Cox ’90 was quoted by the Wall Street Journal about a civil trial that began this week that scrutinizes the tactics Amazon uses to entice consumers to sign up for its Prime service — and to seer them away from leaving. The Federal Trade Commission alleges the online giant has duped nearly 40 million customers, in violation of consumer-protection laws. It is seeking civil penalties, refunds to consumers and a court order prohibiting Amazon from using subscription practices that could confuse or deceive customers. The case is a top test of the agency’s enforcement campaign against allegedly deceptive digital subscription practices. Prof. Cox said the FTC’s lawsuit is part of the agency’s push in recent years to tackle so-called dark patterns, or digital traps intended to manipulate consumer behavior that benefit the company at the buyer’s expense and that the tactics alleged in the case are endemic to online shopping. He said, “If [Amazon’s] practices are held to violate the law, everyone will pay attention. This is an area in which consumers are outraged across the spectrum and that’s why there’s been so much legislative and regulatory activity.”