iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Replies

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026

This lets auctions run so quickly that they can be used as the basis for ordering a search results page. That's how it's *supposed* to work, anyway. The FTC and 22 states just filed a suit against Amazon because Amazon was *cheating on its own SBSPA process*: www.ftc.gov/news-events/... 63/

ftc.gov

FTC, States Sue Amazon Over Secret Ad Surcharge Scheme

Today, 22 states joined the Federal Trade Commission in filing suit against Amazon, alleging that the company engaged in deceptive and unfair practices that secretly inflated prices in its online s

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026

Over the past 7 years, Amazon has been secretly charging the winning bidder an amount equal to *their own* sealed bid, *not* the amount that the next-highest bidder was willing to pay (plus a penny): gizmodo.com/ftc-sues-ama... 64/

gizmodo.com

FTC Sues Amazon for Allegedly Duping Advertisers

Do you know how bad things have to be for Trump's FTC to come after you?

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026

According to the suit, Amazon did this *80%* of the time. That is *tens* of *billions* of dollars Amazon extracted from platform sellers, who passed those costs onto you, *and* onto *every other retailer* in the country (thanks to AI-enforced Most Favored Nation policies). 65/

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edscouse.bsky.social @edscouse.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Seems like a badly run scam because the winning bidder is bound to get suspicious if they are repeatedly charged *their own* bid when they are expecting something slightly less. What's the chance that the next highest bidder was 1 cent less?

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