FTC sues Amazon over in-app payments

The US government is taking Amazon to court over its refusal to abide by FTC suggestions regarding in-app payment policy.

Reuters reports that the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission looks to force Amazon to refund IAPs that are ruled to have been purchased without the permission of parents.

The FTC has been riled by Amazon’s refusal to require a password every time a purchase is made via its app store. Currently a password is required for the first purchase but not for any subsequent purchases made within the next hour.

A previous suit with Apple was settled when the iPhone manufacturer paid out $32.5m.

Amazon has already outlined its willingness to fight the case in the courts, arguing that its apps already carry IAP warnings and that it has willingly refunded customers for such problems in the past.