It’s about data collection, bullying and dubious in-game purchases: Developer Epic Games has been celebrating great success with the popular online game Fortnite for years, but also violates US child protection law. As compensation, the company pays a record fine.
The US developer Epic Games, known for the video game Fortnite, has paid more than half a billion dollars in fines for violations of child protection law, among other things. The US consumer protection agency FTC announced a settlement of 520 million dollars (around 491 million euros).
This includes a $275 million fine and $245 million in repayments to those affected — two record amounts in these areas, according to the Consumer Protection Agency. A federal court has yet to approve a settlement between the Justice Department, the FTC and Epic Games.
According to the allegations, Epic Games collected the data of Fortnite players under the age of 13 without obtaining parental consent or informing the parents as required by law. Epic Games also harmed children and young people by putting them in contact with adult players in Fortnite chats.
“Children and teens have experienced bullying, threats, harassment and exposure to dangerous and psychologically traumatizing issues such as suicide at Fortnite,” the FTC said. As part of the comparison, Epic Games will change its default settings to better protect minors.
The authority also accuses Epic Games of having tricked minors and adults into making purchases at Fortnite that they had not actually intended. For children, “unauthorized costs were incurred without any involvement of the parents,” the FTC said. The $245 million repayment is based on this allegation.
