Lets all just take a moment to appreciate the Freedom of Information Act. Yes, it was put into place for serious reasons that will most likely bring many benefits through political transparency, but it also allows the public a deeper look at, erm, corporate/sibling rivalries.
Early this year, Apple came to an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission which stated that Apple would give $32 million in refund to parents who claim that their children made unauthorized in-app purchases.
According to Politico, Apple did not like being singled out. Reports are showing that Apple’s head lawyer, Bruce Sewell, sent the FTC’s Chairwoman Edith Ramirez and the Democratic Comissioner Julie Brill a report highlighting the same issue of unauthorized in-app purchases made by children in the Google Play store.
“I thought this article might be of some interest, particularly if you have not already seen it” says Bruce Sewel, making a reference to the report about Google Play’s own issues.
The issue, in both the Apple App Store and Google Play, stems from the fact that children have been over spending within certain apps (sometimes thousands of dollars). The problem is that children can continue to purchase some 30 minutes after a password has been entered by a parent.
Apple has officially settled the case with the FTC and will provide refunds to these customers, but Google has not been targeted yet by the FTC.
Maybe the best solution would just be to teach all the children involved how to act like adults, Apple included.
