A landmark trial against Amazon begins Monday in the United States, examining allegations that the e-commerce giant illegally coerced millions of customers into signing up for its paid Prime service and made cancellation nearly impossible.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched the case in 2023, accusing Amazon of deliberately deploying “dark patterns” — deceptive user interfaces — to trick consumers into enrolling in Prime, which costs $139 per year, while completing their purchases.

The proceedings mark a key test of U.S. regulators’ efforts to rein in Big Tech and address claims of abusive market practices.