“According to a US Federal Trade Commission report filed today, Amazon has billed parents and other account holders for millions of dollars in unauthorized in-app charges incurred by children,” Electronista reports. “The FTC’s lawsuit seeks a court order requiring refunds for consumers for the unauthorized charges and permanently banning the company from billing parents and other account holders for in-app charges that have been made without their consent.”
“Reports have circulated that Apple’s general counsel sent a Consumer Reports investigation to the FTC to inform the regulatory board of Amazon’s policies,” Electronista reports. “Unlike Apple’s complaints, the FTC’s complaint against Amazon notes that there were no password requirements of any kind on in-app charges when the Amazon Appstore launched in November of 2011, including on apps that appeal to children. The complaint highlights internal communications among Amazon employees pointing out that allowing unlimited in-app charges without any password was ‘clearly causing problems for a large percentage of our customers,’ and adding that the situation was a ‘near house on fire.'”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jax44” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
After in-app purchase settlement, Apple pushed FTC to investigate Google Play Store – July 9, 2014
‘Deeply disappointed’ Amazon fights FTC over in-app purchases made by children – July 3, 2014
Federal regulators are redesigning how your iPad works; U.S. FTC thinks it knows better than Apple – February 3, 2014
Apple to refund at least $32.5 million to settle FTC complaint it charged for kids’ In-App Purchases without parental consent – January 16, 2014
Apple’s Cook settles with FTC over kids’ In-App Purchases rather than endure legal fight – January 15, 2014
Apple refunds 8-year-old girl’s $6,000 bill for in-app purchases – July 21, 2013
Apple notifies parents of In-App Purchase settlement details – June 24, 2013
In-App Purchasing lawsuit against Apple allowed to proceed – April 21, 2012
Parents sue Apple over in-app charges – April 16, 2012
Lack of parental controls on Amazon’s tiny screen Kindle Fire lets kids charge up a storm – December 12, 2011
Freemium and Apple’s App Store: The in-app purchasing model really works – October 14, 2011
This is the only way they can make any money!!
What a sick thought: That the only reason Amazon makes its meagre quarterly profits is because it abuses its customers. Blow-chunks inducing.
:-Q*****
About fscking time, Google next?
Yes please FTC. For example: Why TF is any business getting away with allowing malware to be offered, free or for sale, within their online store? Modern minds demand to know.
… In other words: WAKE TF UP FTC and do your job, correctly please.
As ever, I tend to find ‘evil’ is the product of stupidity (thus my frequent use of the word) far more often than simply (or only) maliciousness. This is yet another reason to find ‘evil’ to be worthy of derisive laughter, certainly from my POV. ‘Evil’ despises laughter specifically because ‘evil’ knows it’s an act of a fool. ©2014, Derek Currie, Esq..
I hope that lesson was useful. I have many more available upon request. 😉
Derek on a roll, again. I like it. Ordinary blokes don’t copyright their coinages midstream. Then again history has seldom seen the like of this sorry roll call of losers, incompetents, and hapless clowns, with no end in sight. Sadly, we were born into an age of witlessness, and more’s the pity. Even sadder, the thought occurs that we ourselves may be amongst these riffraff; let us then hurry and beget a new generation free of these handicaps.
Mind, these observations are brought to you courtesy of Harvey Wallbanger.
I haven’t had a visit with Harvey in years! I used to have his t-shirt. Is he as tasteful as ever?