TechDigits

Tech news
Monday, Oct 07, 2024

Apple and Google warn Amazon about children 'accessing porn' on Kindle app

Apple and Google warn Amazon about children 'accessing porn' on Kindle app

Families reported their pre-teen sons had downloaded explicit material via Amazon's Kindle Unlimited subscription, which offers millions of titles for a monthly fee.
Amazon has been warned about the presence of pornographic content on its Kindle app that could be accessed by children.

Apple and Google said they had raised concerns with their fellow tech company, as both said such sexually explicit material risked falling foul of policy rules on their app stores.

It comes after the availability of adult content on the Kindle app, including books and comics featuring pictures of sex acts and naked women, was highlighted by Reuters news agency.

An Amazon statement said: "We're committed to providing a safe shopping and reading experience for our customers and their families, and we take matters like this seriously.

"We are reviewing all the available information and are taking action based on our findings."

Apple said it was working with Amazon to "ensure their app is compliant with our guidelines", while Google said it had "been in contact with the developer".

Reuters reported on the issue after being approached by two families who said their pre-teen sons had downloaded explicit material via Amazon's Kindle Unlimited subscription, which offers millions of titles for a monthly fee.

The boys viewed the content on the platform's iPhone app, which ranks highly on Apple's App Store.

Amazon does offer a Kids+ subscription, but the families told Reuters they signed up to Unlimited because it offered more age-appropriate books for their children to read.

However, it has no parental controls, meaning any user can access any of the books on offer.

How does sexual content end up on Kindle?

Amazon allows authors to self-publish through its Kindle Direct Publishing service.

It gets their work on to its platforms nearly instantaneously, providing quick access to the market's biggest player.

Recent estimates suggest Amazon controls two-thirds of the e-book market, well ahead of other providers - including Apple and Google, which have their own digital book stores.

Amazon's terms of use for self-publishing warn that "offensive or inappropriate" content could be refused, which may include anything that "contains pornography".

The company also uses software to help detect some banned content prior to publication.

What will Amazon do in response?

Amazon has changed the age rating of the Kindle iPhone app from four years and over to 12.

On the Google Play Store, it is now rated as "teen".

Amazon also noted that its terms require parental consent for users under 18.

The company told Reuters it would also update the Kindle app, but did not offer specifics.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TechDigits
0:00
0:00
Close
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
Melinda French Gates Advocates for Increased Female Representation in AI to Prevent Bias
Snapchat+ gains 4 million paying subscribers in its first year
Apple Makes History as the First Public Company Valued at $3 Trillion
Elon Musk Implements Twitter Limits to Tackle Data Scraping, but Faces Criticism for Technical Misunderstanding
EU and UK's Slow Electric Vehicle Adoption Raises Questions About the Transition to Green Mobility
Top Companies Express Concerns Over Europe's Proposed AI Law, Citing Competitiveness and Investment Risks
Meta Unveils Insights on AI Usage in Facebook and Instagram, Amid Growing Calls for Transparency
Crypto Scams Against Seniors Soar by 78% in 2022, Experts Urge Vigilance
The End of an Era: National Geographic Dismisses Last of Its Staff Writers
Shield Your Wallet: The Perils of Wireless Credit Card Theft
Harvard Scientist Who Studies Honesty Accused Of Data Fraud, Put On Leave
Putting an End to the Subscription Snare: The Battle Against Unwitting Commitments
The Legal Perils of AI: Lawyer Faces Sanctions for Relying on Fictional Cases Generated by Chatbot
ChatGPT’s "Grandma Exploit": Ingenious Hack Exposes Loophole in AI, Generates Free Software Codes
The Disney Downturn: A Near Billion-Dollar Box Office Blow for the House of Mouse
A Digital Showdown: Canada Challenges Tech Giants with The Online News Act, Meta Strikes Back
Distress in the Depths: Submersible and Passengers Missing in Titanic Wreckage Expedition
Mark Zuckerberg stealing another idea: Twitter
European Union's AI Regulations Risk Self-Sabotage, Cautions smart and brave Venture Capitalist Joe Lonsdale
Nvidia GPUs are so hard to get that rich venture capitalists are buying them for the startups they invest in
Chinese car exports surge
Reddit Blackout: Thousands of Communities Protest "Ludicrous" Pricing Changes
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
×