June 16 (Reuters) – Amazon.com may face a U.S. Federal Trade Commission lawsuit that could result in civil penalties, following allegations that the e-commerce giant misled advertisers, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
The FTC has a possible complaint against Amazon as part of an ongoing probe, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Several state attorneys general are also participating.
The agency has been investigating whether Amazon and Alphabet’s Google misled advertisers that place ads on their websites, Reuters reported last year.
The investigations are being conducted by the FTC’s consumer protection unit, and focus on whether Amazon and Alphabet properly disclosed terms and pricing for ads.
The agency may wrap up the probe either through a lawsuit or settlement as soon as this summer, according to Bloomberg.
Amazon and the FTC did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Anil D’Silva)
