Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite, has agreed to pay $520 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that company violated online child privacy laws and tricked players to making unintentional purchases.
Under the settlement, Epic will pay a $275 million penalty for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and $245 million in refunds to players who were allegedly tricked into making purchases through design tricks known as “dark patterns.”
Epic confirmed the settlement in a news release on Monday morning, saying that “long-standing industry practices are no longer enough” in an environment where enforcement is rapidly evolving. “No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here,” the company said in the release. “We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.”
Moreover, the company will agree to adopt stronger privacy default settings for children and teenagers that ensure voice and text communications are turned off by default. Fortnite, a cartoonlike shooter game, is one of the most popular online games, with more than 400 million users worldwide.
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