California joins sweeping lawsuit accusing Amazon of ‘rigging’ billions of ad auctions

California and 21 other states have partnered with the Federal Trade Commission to file a lawsuit against Amazon, claiming the e-commerce giant covertly deployed deceptive and unfair practices

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a bipartisan group of 22 states has filed a lawsuit alleging Amazon secretly overcharged more than a million advertising customers by manipulating online auctions it uses to set ad prices.

Amazon responded to the lawsuit, arguing the US Federal Trade Commission "misunderstands" their ad market.

The agency, joined by 22 state attorneys general, alleges Amazon used hidden surcharges dating to 2019 to overcharge advertisers

Regulators claim Amazon artificially bumped floor prices during peak shopping periods, adding surcharges to merchants’ ad spending.