Phoebe Gates, daughter of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is facing scrutiny over allegations that her shopping startup Phia used a form of affiliate marketing manipulation known as 'cookie stuffing' to claim commissions on sales it may not have generated.
The controversy has drawn attention because the practice can, in some circumstances, form the basis of a federal wire fraud case carrying a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Gates has not been charged with a crime, and there is no finding that she committed fraud.
