WSJ Tech News Briefing · Monday, August 31, 2026
The Federal Trade Commission is filing a lawsuit against Amazon.com, alleging the e-commerce giant deceived advertisers. The FTC claims Amazon manipulated advertising prices, resulting in billions of dollars in profit for the company over seven years and increasing pay-per-click ad costs by 50% on major shopping days.
“The Federal Trade Commission plans to file a lawsuit against Amazon.com today, alleging that the e-commerce giant deceived advertisers.”
“Agency officials say Amazon manipulated prices, businesses paid to advertise on its retail platform, reaping tens of billions of dollars for itself over seven years.”
“The FTC's claims include that Amazon's strategy of placing its own bid during merchant auctions raised the pay-per-click ad cost by 50% on major shopping days.”