FTC Snags Google in $19 Million Mobile-App Settlement
Another tech giant — this time it’s Google — is caught up in a prolonged Federal Trade Commission crackdown. Google settled with the FTC for a minimum of $19 million for allegedly enabling kids to pay to download mobile apps without consent from mom or dad.
The agency will “continue to be vigilant” in investigating the mobile marketplace, said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez during a conference call about the Google settlement this afternoon.
Thousands of consumers complained about unauthorized Google app charges, and some of those charges totaled “hundreds of dollars,” said Ms. Ramirez. The minimum of $19 million to be refunded to consumers by Google represents the FTC’s “estimate of harm,” she said.
