The FTC files a complaint against Adobe. The reason is misleading interfaces pushing customers to subscribe to an annual subscription billed monthly and a deliberately complex termination procedure. A year earlier, the American agency attacked Amazon for similar practices linked to the Prime subscription.
FTC takes action against Adobe for its deceptive practices. The trade agency in charge of consumer protection accuses the software publisher (Photoshop, Acrobat, Premiere, etc.) of deliberately complicating the procedure for canceling its most popular subscription and of hiding the costs that its customers incur for early cancellation. Practices described as “dark patterns”.
In its complaint against two Adobe executives, the FTC explains that the software publisher pushes its users to subscribe to an annual subscription billed monthly, without clearly specifying that they can be charged fees of several hundred dollars if they do not. they cancel it during the first year. The annual plan is pre-selected, the monthly amount highlighted, while cancellation costs are hidden. The FTC specifies that customers complain of not knowing about these early termination fees (50% of remaining payments) and that Adobe did nothing despite knowing about the problem.
Adobe’s current page for Acrobat highlights the annual plan billed monthly.
The American agency adds that Adobe uses the annual-monthly subscription to trap its customers and prevent them from canceling it, with a deliberately complex procedure, forcing users to browse multiple pages. The firm’s customer service also does not help customers in their process, many of them believing they have successfully canceled their subscription without this being the case.
Previous Amazon Prime
This is not the first time that the FTC has attacked the manipulative techniques of technology companies. In June 2023, the agency filed a complaint against Amazon for a similar problem. In question, the multiple misleading incentives to subscribe to the Prime subscription during check-out and the also deliberately complex procedure for unsubscribing. According to several media, the procedure was even called “Iliad” internally at Amazon, undoubtedly in reference to the Trojan Horse.
“Amazon deceived and tricked people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, which not only frustrated users but also cost them a lot of money,” commented Lina M. Khan, chair of the FTC. These manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike. The FTC will continue to vigorously protect Americans against dark patterns and other unfair or deceptive practices in digital marketplaces.
