FTC与22州公开亚马逊广告拍卖案未删节诉状：指其秘密加价平日最高50%、大促日最高250%
美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）11月5日通报，FTC与22个州的总检察长近日向法院提交了针对亚马逊公司诉讼的更新版诉状，公开此前被删节的内容，指控亚马逊以欺骗与不公平手段，在其在线搜索广告拍卖中秘密抬高价格。案件由FTC与各州伙伴于今年8月在华盛顿西区联邦法院提起。
据未删节诉状的指控，亚马逊秘密加价的幅度平日最高可达拍卖结果的50%，在Prime Day、黑色星期五等重大购物日最高可达250%。诉状称，2021年假日购物季期间，亚马逊把广告主的平均单次点击成本提高了20%，部分广告主面对的涨幅超过200%；2022年假日购物季，亚马逊通过秘密附加费在全球增收8,700万美元。
诉状称，无论中小企业还是大型成熟客户都未能避开这些附加费：一家大型食品饮料广告主在2023年Prime Day期间被加价超过100%，亚马逊内部承认，其涨价导致该广告主的广告支出回报率下降，正在「摧毁广告投放表现」。
未删节内容还指控，亚马逊动用隐藏附加费是为达成公司财务目标：2023年，亚马逊高管讨论需要再找到4,000万美元收入以完成财务指标，诉状引述Amazon Ads负责人致广告产品与技术高级副总裁的邮件称，希望「竭尽全力（但不做不自然的事）弥补与计划的差距」，并称动用储备金「理想情况下至少补上4,000万美元会有帮助」。
诉状还指控，当被隐藏附加费抬高价格的广告主询问「第二价格拍卖流程是否发生了变化」时，亚马逊作出虚假安抚：在一例中，一名客户经理在被直接问及拍卖方式是否因设计或失误而改变时回答称，经向产品专家团队核实，「没有漏洞，拍卖方式也没有变化」，并称点击成本上升是市场比往年更拥挤的直接反映。
参与提交未删节诉状的22个州为阿拉斯加、亚利桑那、加利福尼亚、科罗拉多、佛罗里达、爱达荷、伊利诺伊、印第安纳、爱荷华、肯塔基、路易斯安那、马里兰、内布拉斯加、新泽西、纽约、北卡罗来纳、俄克拉荷马、宾夕法尼亚、罗得岛、南卡罗来纳、佛蒙特与华盛顿州。上述内容均为诉状一方的指控，尚有待法院审理认定；FTC此次通报未载亚马逊一方的回应。
（来源：美国联邦贸易委员会）
FTC and 22 States Unseal Amazon Ads Complaint Alleging Secret Markups of Up to 50%, and 250% on Big Shopping Days
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on November 5 that the FTC and attorneys general of 22 states recently filed an updated version of their complaint against Amazon, making public previously redacted details alleging that Amazon used deceptive and unfair practices to secretly inflate prices in its online search advertising auction. The FTC and its state partners sued Amazon in August in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The unredacted portions of the complaint allege that Amazon secretly raises advertising prices by as much as 50 percent above auction results on ordinary days and by as much as 250 percent on major shopping days such as Prime Day or Black Friday. During the 2021 holiday season, the complaint alleges, Amazon increased advertisers' average cost-per-click by 20 percent, with some advertisers experiencing increases of over 200 percent; during the 2022 holiday season, Amazon's secret surcharges increased its revenue by $87 million worldwide.
Neither small businesses nor large, sophisticated customers were spared, the complaint alleges: one large food and beverage advertiser was subjected to price increases of more than 100 percent during Prime Day in 2023, and Amazon internally acknowledged that its increases had driven down the advertiser's return on ad spend in a way that was "destroying campaign performance."
The unsealed allegations also say Amazon used its hidden surcharges to meet corporate financial targets. In 2023, according to the complaint, Amazon executives discussed needing an additional $40 million in revenue, and the head of Amazon Ads emailed the senior vice president of ad products and technology that he wanted to "pull out all of the stops (without doing unnatural acts) to close our gaps to plan," adding that reserves of "ideally at least $40MM would be helpful."
When advertisers asked whether "something has changed with respect to the second price auction process," the complaint alleges, Amazon falsely reassured them. In one instance, after being asked directly whether the process had changed "either by design or mistake," an Amazon account manager replied that the product specialist team had confirmed "there is not a bug, or a change in auction style," and attributed the spike in costs-per-click to a marketplace "even more crowded than any year previous."
The 22 states joining the filing are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington. The claims above are allegations in the complaint and remain to be decided by the court; the FTC's announcement did not include a response from Amazon.
(Source: Federal Trade Commission)
来源：美国联邦贸易委员会
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于华盛顿的美国联邦贸易委员会总部Apex大楼（2025年2月摄）。G. Edward Johnson 摄，CC BY，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Apex Building, headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. (February 2025). Photo by G. Edward Johnson, CC BY, via Wikimedia Commons.
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
