Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) wants Apple and Google to provide explanations about the control of betting apps in the App Store and Play Store, reports CanalTech.
The ministry wants to know how the tech giants identify unauthorized bets by minors. Apple and Google have five business days to respond. The request was made by the National Secretariat of Digital Rights and the National Consumer Secretariat. According to the MJSP, the request seeks to gather information and doesn’t represent a punishment for the two companies. At least not yet.
From the MJSP request: The requested clarifications include how the regulatory authorizations of apps made available in Brazil are validated; the technical criteria used to distinguish simulation apps from apps involving bets with economic value, including cases in which features are hidden or changed after approval; and the mechanisms adopted to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content.
Information was also requested on active monitoring procedures; risk-prioritization criteria; average removal times after detection; and the timetable for implementing the announced corrective measures, including the software update intended to prevent users under 18 from downloading apps classified as not recommended for that age group.
This isn’t the first brush-up between Apple and Brazilian agencies regarding minors. Last month The 1st Court for Children and Youth of Brazil’s Federal District ordered Apple and other tech companies to pay R$ 298 million (approximately US$58.7 million) in collective moral damages over “loot boxes” that are accessible to minors, reported Times Brasil.
In video game terminology, a loot box is a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a randomized selection of further virtual items, or loot, ranging from simple customization options for a player’s avatar or character to game-changing equipment such as weapons and armor.
The 1st Court’s fines recognize collective moral damage and determine technical adjustments such as disclosure of probabilities and blocking access to minors, the article adds. Children and adolescents affected by the loot boxes may seek individual compensation after the decision of the DF Children’s Court.
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