![]() The internal Facebook memo prepped employees to try giving away virtual elements, like swords, instead of refunding. One 15 year old user unknowingly spent $6,545 in two weeks and when they asked for a refund because they didn’t know they were being charged for the add-ons, Facebook flatout denied it. These suggested improvements were dismissed because they would lower game revenues. They developed different methods of purchasing virtual items that would require a second authentication - like entering the credit card number again. ![]() They referred to this practice where children spend money on the platform without parental permissions as friendly fraud.Ĭoncerned Facebook employees knew minors might not realize the real-world implications of their in-game purchase. What’s worse is Facebook knew minors could purchase these “level ups” alone as early as 2011. And they certainly didn’t know minors were able use their cards time and time again without having to enter any validation code or password. The trouble is that after Dennis entered the card information once it was stored on the platform permanently.Īfter this Dennis could purchase whatever he wanted through the game without any second authentication requirement.Ī survey of Facebook users showed parents didn’t know their credit card information was being stored on Facebook. She conceded–but only this once– and he gave the card back after purchase. The problem is that they weren’t always there.įor example, say Dennis wanted to purchase a flaming sword for his Dragon Slayer game, and he asked his mom for her credit card. ![]() This is all fine as long as an adult is there who consents to handing over their credit card. But even though you’re paying for things in the virtual world, the money spent is real. These games sell virtual ways to ”level up” or gain access to hidden features like a new undiscovered level or extra lives. ![]() They include records of the company’s growth from 2010-2014 and will show if Facebook unfairly enticed children to spend money without parental consent.įacebook hosts a breadth of applications which allows it to corner the game market. A judge unsealed 135 pages of Facebook’s internal documentation thanks to pressure from the Center for Investigative Reporting. ![]()
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