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[ NNSquad ] For Apple, Pressure Builds Over App Store Fraud


For Apple, Pressure Builds Over App Store Fraud

http://j.mp/w6rUjj  (New York Times)

   "In a little over an hour, Ryan Matthew Pierson racked up $437.71 in
    iTunes charges for virtual currency that he could use to buy guns,
    nightclubs and cars in iMobster, a popular iPhone game. One problem:
    Mr. Pierson, a technology writer in Texas, has never played iMobster."

 - - -

In general, in-app purchase systems can be problematic for a number of
reasons unless carefully designed controls and continuously evolving
anti-fraud mechanisms are in place.  My personal feeling is that many,
perhaps most, in-app purchases are actually a waste of money even when
conducted as designed, by users who voluntarily choose to invoke them.
Much of the in-app purchase paradigm (especially for games) seems to
be sucker-bait at the bleeding edge of ethical boundaries, if not
beyond.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren 
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org 
Founder:
 - Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org
 - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org 
 - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
 - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com 
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren 
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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