Amazon refusing to abide by FTC requests to tackle mobile IAPs made by kids

A request by the US Federal Trade Commission designed to ease the problem of children making in-app purchases is reportedly being resisted by Amazon.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon has said it would rather defend its approach in court” than adhere to a structured program of increased disclosure, improved record keeping and fines designed to mitigate the issue.

Amazon associate general counsel said that "when customers told us their kids had made purchases they didn’t want, we refunded those purchases", adding that Amazon’s app store already includes "prominent notice of in-app purchasing, effective parental controls and real-time notice of every in-app purchase".

Amongst the FTC’s proposals were the need to input a password for every purchase and the simplification of refunds.

"The commission is focused on ensuring that companies comply with the fundamental principle that consumers should not be made to pay for something they did not authorize," an FTC spokesman stated. "Consumers using mobile devices have the same long-established and fundamental consumer protections as they would anywhere else."

In January Apple agreed to pay out at least $32.5m to consumers whom it had billed for unauthorised purchases made by kids.

Note that Amazon’s resistance comes hot on the heel of its retail-centric Fire Phone.