FTC accuses Amazon of secretly padding ad prices via bid manipulation

The FTC and 22 state attorneys general sue Amazon, alleging it used a 'secret ad surcharge' to push up prices for ads on its site and app by manipulating its second-price auctions since 2019, a practice the complaint claims has illegally extracted more than $20 billion from advertisers; Amazon counters that the claims misinterpret advertiser behavior and notes bid prices have fallen, disputing the assertion that higher prices were passed on to consumers.