The US Federal Trade Commission has announced an enormous settlement with Amazon.com to the tune of $2.5 billion, based on allegations that "Amazon enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent, and knowingly made it difficult for consumers to cancel." The announcement comes two days after the commencement of a jury trial in Seattle on the issue.
The settlement is composed of a $1 billion civil penalty, with an additional $1.5 billion in refunds to be paid back to consumers affected by such practices. Amazon is further required to "cease unlawful enrollment and cancellation practices for Prime," which will be interesting.
