Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission, which alleged that the company has “knowingly duped” millions of people into enrolling in its Amazon Prime membership program by using what the FTC has described as “ dark patterns, ” or, "manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs.”

The settlement claimed that Amazon “obtains consumers’ billing information before it discloses all material terms for an Amazon Prime subscription,” and in doing so, was in violation of the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act, which was signed into law in 2010 to prevent the use of deception to prompt or encourage online purchases.

The $2.5 billion payment includes $1 billion that has to be paid to the FTC, and $1.5 billion that will g

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