The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is examining whether Google and Amazon have misled advertisers about how ad pricing and auction terms work.
Google is under scrutiny for possibly increasing ad costs without making changes fully clear to advertisers.
Amazon’s ad auctions are being reviewed for the use of reserve pricing (minimum bid thresholds) and whether those were properly disclosed.
The broader question is whether both platforms are giving advertisers full transparency into how pricing, fees, and auction mechanics actually operate.
For advertisers, unexpected pricing floors or undisclosed cost structures can directly impact ROI.
For regulators, this signals a shift: transparency in ad platforms’ mechanics is becoming just as important as competition in the market.
Depending on the FTC’s findings, platforms may be forced to overhaul how they communicate pricing and auction rules to advertisers.
