CNBC reports:
Epic Games, the developer and publisher of the video game Fortnite, will pay $520 million in fines to settle with the FTC over violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The FTC had alleged that Epic paired children and teens “with strangers,” exposed them to “dangerous and psychologically traumatizing issues,” and failed to introduce adequate parental control systems.
“Protecting the public, and especially children, from online privacy invasions and dark patterns is a top priority for the Commission, and these enforcement actions make clear to businesses that the FTC is cracking down on these unlawful practices,” FTC chair Lina Khan said in a statement.
Read the full article. Epic Games, with 2200 employees, is privately held and doesn’t disclose revenue figures. The Chinese holding company Tencent owns 40% of Epic Games. Last year Tencent reported $87 billion in revenue.
Fortnite developer Epic Games to pay $520 million in fines in FTC settlement https://t.co/PLXQld6uzN
— CNBC (@CNBC) December 19, 2022