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Federal court finds Amazon liable for children’s unauthorised in-app charges

A federal court found that Amazon billed account holders for in-app purchases made by children without obtaining informed consent. The purchase flows appeared in games and other apps used by children and, during parts of the relevant period, allowed charges without a password.

Confirmed

Case ID: amazon-in-app-purchases-2016

What the record establishes

Amazon and the FTC withdrew their appeals in 2017, allowing a court-ordered refund process to proceed. More than $70 million in charges were potentially eligible for refunds; that refund amount is not counted as a penalty.

Sources

  1. Primary recordFTC v. Amazon.com case recordFederal Trade Commission · 30 May 2017 · accessed 11 August 2026

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