U.S. watchdog sues Amazon for unfair practices over Prime service

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it has taken action against Amazon.com Inc. over the e-commerce giant’s unfair practices behind its Prime subscription service.

The U.S. watchdog claimed the company had tricked customers into joining the service and made it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions in violation of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.

“Amazon has knowingly duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime,” the FTC said in a statement.

Prime allows subscribers to benefit from free shipping and provides access to films and musi...