FTC Sues Amazon Over In-App Purchases by Children
Statement from Jim Steyer
SAN FRANCISCO, CA-- Common Sense Founder and CEO Jim Steyer released the following statement in response to the FTC suing Amazon over in-app purchases by children:
"We commend the FTC for taking action to hold companies accountable when it comes to how they communicate with parents and kids about in-app purchases and we look forward to learning more as the litigation proceeds.
Many apps appear to be free, but in reality there is often a price to pay, which is rarely made clear. It can be particularly confusing for kids when children's games don't clearly distinguish in-app play money from real dollar purchases. There is a simple solution: companies must be completely transparent about the availability of in-app purchases and payment mechanisms before a user downloads an app so kids don't make unwanted purchases.
For a company that often gets it right, the FTC complaint raises some serious questions and we look forward to Amazon's answers."