Big tech companies like Apple, Google, and popular game developers such as King and Supercell are being accused of misleading age ratings on their apps. The Good Law Project says that many games appear safe for young children based on app store ratings, but actually require users to be much older according to the terms and conditions.
This gap, they say, puts kids at risk of seeing ads meant for older users and having their data collected without proper consent. The UK-based campaign group has filed a complaint with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
One of the main examples shared by the group is Candy Crush Saga. On the Apple App Store, the game is marked as suitable for ages 4 and up, and 3+ on Google Play. But if you read the game’s user agreement, it says that players must be at least 13 years old to use the service.
In the complaint filed by The Good Law Project, they have given three reasons why this is unlawful. They call it an “unfair commercial practice”, while adding that the “conduct results in unlawful data processing” and, given Apple and Google’s “dominance in app stores”, gives them a special duty to protect consumers, making these legal breaches an abuse of their power.
Apple sent mobilegamer.biz the following statement in response to the Good Law Project’s claims: “We are committed to protecting user privacy and security and providing a safe experience for children. We do this by giving parents and developers important tools to help protect children on the App Store and across the apps they use.”
As per The Times, the CMA is now looking into whether Apple and Google have too much control over the app market. Meanwhile, the Good Law Project’s petition has gained over 7,600 signatures from people at the time of writing. You can take part in the same way via the official website.
