Fortnite (Epic Games)
The Federal Trade Commission in the USA filed two complaints against the creator and developer of Fortnite, Epic Games, who decided not to appeal to the court, and will pay an unprecedented fine of 520 million dollars. This is the largest fine ever filed by the Federal Trade Commission.
The first complaint is about a violation of the Law for the Protection of Children's Peace on the Internet, for which Afik will pay approximately 275 million dollars.
The second claim is for refunds to customers that Afik "misled" and collected unintended payments from them. The Commerce Commission claims that Afik collected personal information from players aged 13 and under through their user accounts without their parents' knowledge or permission.
It is also claimed that since Vafik enabled real-time voice and text chat in Fortnite's game settings by default, quite a few players experienced verbal violence and online bullying.
This led to severe cases of psychological trauma, self-harm and suicide among young players.
In the second complaint, it was claimed that Afik uses "dark patterns" that mislead users of its platform, which leads to unnecessary charges, and gave as an example children who make purchases on the platform without the parents' knowledge.
"Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that misled Fortnite players, including teenagers and children. Fortnite's inconsistent and confusing button display led players to unwanted charges based on pressing a single button. For example, players who try to wake the game from sleep mode can be charged While on the loading screen, or by clicking a purchase button next to the preview button of the item offered for purchase," the complaint reads.
This is not the first time that criticism has been heard about Afik and its sales methods among children.
Until 2018, it allowed children to purchase digital currencies for real money with a simple click of a button, without parental permission or permission from the credit card holder.
The Federal Trade Commission claims that to date Afik has ignored the requests of more than a million users who requested refunds for unnecessary charges.
The complaint also states that Afik blocked accounts and denied access to content to players who disputed the charges with their credit company.
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Afik responded on her official blog to all the allegations and stated that "no developer creates a game with the intention of reaching this state", and outlined the many changes she has introduced in Fortnite in recent years: she no longer saves customer payment details by default, and she implemented the option of protected accounts for players Young people.
Afik is also in legal proceedings against Apple, and the two are fighting in court over the percentage of profits on the App Store platform.
Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada also decided to approve a class action against Afik after a number of parents complained that Fortnite was addictive and that their children were addicted to the game.
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Fortnite
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