Google to refund at least $19 million over in-app purchases
If we were to face a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission, having a bunch of irritated parents on the other end of things is pretty low on our list of ideal situations. We're thinking Google feels the same way, now that they've agreed to pay a minimum of $19 million in refunds over purchases made without the account holder's explicit consent.
The trouble stems from children making purchases through their parents' accounts without permission, which presumably led to some spirited child-and-parent talks over monthly credit card statements. According to the FTC's release concerning Google's settlement, the tech giant has also agreed to modify its billing strategy to "ensure that it obtains express, informed consent from consumers before charging them for items sold in mobile apps."
Hopefully these changes will soon allow parents to deploy phones and tablets for much-needed sanity breaks without paying a premium. Then again, gardens aren't going to just grow their own zombie defense budget ...
[Image: Google]
