The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has identified three Amazon executives in its case against the company. According to the agency, the tech giant allegedly used deceptive tactics to encourage people to sign up for its Prime service and made it extremely difficult to unsubscribe. The FTC filed a lawsuit against Amazon in June, accusing the company of violating the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. The complaint alleges that Amazon employed “Dark Patterns” on its app and web pages, tricking users into signing up for Prime without their full knowledge. Additionally, the company deliberately complicated the process of canceling payments, frustrating many customers. The Reg reports that the three executives named in the complaint are Neil Lindsay, former head of the Prime team and current member of Amazon’s management team; Russell Grandinetti, current boss of Amazon; and Jamil Ghani, Vice President of Prime. It is claimed that Amazon customer service representatives were instructed to prolong the cancellation process, even though it could be done quickly. The named executives are accused of intentionally making the process more convoluted in order to retain customers, and even enrolling individuals who were not active Amazon buyers. The lawsuit states that Prime subscription fees contribute $25 billion to Amazon’s annual revenue, with approximately 70% of the company’s revenue coming from American consumers. The lawsuit also references internal Amazon documents obtained by Insider in 2022, which revealed concerns about the company’s user interface designs manipulating customers into signing up for Prime. The documents also indicated that Amazon purposely made canceling Prime a lengthy process, earning it the nickname “Iliad,” referencing Homer’s epic poem. In response to the FTC’s claims, Amazon spokesperson Heather Layman stated that they are “false on the facts and the law.” Layman added that customers appreciate Prime and that Amazon has made it clear and simple for users to both sign up for and cancel their memberships. Earlier this year, the FTC proposed a ‘Click to Cancel’ provision, which would require companies to make canceling recurring subscriptions as easy as signing up for them. However, trade groups representing publishers, advertisers, and video game companies argue that a simpler cancellation process would confuse consumers and create issues for businesses.