![]() This is surprising, because that setting is far from unique to Fortnite – it’s been the case for the vast majority of online games for decades.Īnd since most other game publishers don’t have half a billion dollars sitting around, this is likely to set a new precedent in the video game scene. The more interesting story is that the FTC also alleged that Fortnite’s “default settings harm children and teens” – essentially, text and voice communication during online matches being “on” by default exposes young players to unwanted bullying and harassment. Relatively speaking, it’s a drop in the pond – Epic Games will make it through this setback just fine. Fortnite alone netted the publisher $5.5 billion in 2018 and $3.7 billion in 2019. While $520 million is no small sum, as of writing Epic Games is valued at $32 billion. It will be interesting to see how Epic Games goes about dispensing $245 million in refunds to customers – how will they determine who was and wasn’t duped? Regarding the “dark patterns” – the best thing people can do is not store credit card information on their computer or game console, especially if children have access. Most online services disallow anyone under the age of 13 from making an account due to the complexity of complying with the law, which often leads kids to simply lie about their age. ![]() The federal court complaint made three allegations: one, that Epic Games violated COPPA rules by collecting personal information from children under 13 who played Fortnite without notifying parents or obtaining their consent – two, that having text and voice communications enabled by default during online games leaves minors open to harassment – and three, that Fortnite used “dark patterns” to trick users of all ages into making in-game purchases with real-life cash.Įpic Games isn’t the first company to be found in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and they certainly won’t be the last. Federal Trade Commission, paying $275 million for violating a federal children’s privacy law and another $245 million refunding customers for alleged unlawful billing practices. On Monday, news broke that Fortnite creator Epic Games had agreed to a $520 million settlement with the U.S.
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