In a lawsuit filed this week, the FTC said Amazon had used "manipulative, coercive or deceptive user-interface designs" to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions.
Amazon denied the accusation, stating the charges are "false on the facts and the law".
The company's Prime service – which offers access to shipping discounts and streaming services – currently has over 200 million subscribers, who pay $139 a year in the US and £95 per year in the UK.
The watchdog said Amazon "knowingly duped millions of consumers" into enrolling in the service by using website designs that promised discount offers for those who subscribe to the programme, without making the price clear, nor informing users that the programme would renew automatically every month.
Amazon was also accused of unnecessarily complicating the cancellation process, forcing customers to go through a “labyrinthine” process, known...