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    "headline": "FTC Alleges Amazon Rigged $20B Ad Auctions Since 2019",
    "dek": "US FTC and 22 states allege Amazon manipulated ad auctions to overcharge millions of customers by $20 billion.",
    "prose": "According to the lawsuit filed on Monday, the alleged scheme has likely netted Amazon $20bn (£14.8bn) from advertising customers since 2019. [^1]\n\nThe US Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan group of 22 states filed a lawsuit alleging that Amazon secretly overcharged more than one million advertising customers by manipulating online auctions used to set ad prices. [^2]\n\nThe FTC alleged that Amazon systematically inflated auction prices for advertisers without their knowledge, costing them $20 billion or more. [^3]\n\nThe US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging Amazon illegally raised prices for advertisers by surreptitiously increasing the minimum price required to place ads. [^4]\n\nA complaint filed in Washington states that Amazon overrides and replaces actual auction results with higher prices set by Amazon to increase its profits. [^5]\n\nThe lawsuit accuses Amazon of secretly charging advertisers more in so-called second price auctions, where advertisers expect to pay one cent more than the next highest bidder. [^6]\n\nAmazon denied wrongdoing in a blog post, stating its advertising policies aim to show shoppers the most relevant ads and that average cost per click remained flat from 2019 to 2024. [^7]\n\nThe agency joined by a bipartisan group of 22 US states will seek tens of billions in damages, though a precise amount has not yet been settled. [^8]",
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