Apple is the target of action for casino apps available for children on iPhone

WHAT HAPPENED

The action asks Apple to increase protection for children in its app store. The authors of the piece, registered on July 30, are Anced (National Association of Centers for the Defense of Children and Adolescents), Educafro Brasil and the Santo Dias Center for Human Rights.

The motivation for the action is the possibility of accessing casino games by children without age verification. In a notary's note (public document that proves a fact, drawn up at a notary's office), the download of the game "Casino Roulette:Roulettist" is described, a game that offers different types of casino, such as poker, baccarat, roulette and slot machine, and that there are successive offers to purchase chips with real money (ranging from R$19.90 to R$599.90). Officially, the title is rated for ages 18 and over.

"It was recorded that, at no time, was proof of age, documentary verification or facial recognition required to access the content," said Márlon Reis, Anced's lawyer and one of the authors of the action.

In practice, the action asks Apple to adopt the following measures: implementing an effective majority verification mechanism for all casino gaming applications; preventing the availability of new casino gaming applications without age verification; and maintenance of continuous supervision, with the presentation of semi-annual reports.

If Apple does not comply with what was requested within ten calendar days, it could receive a daily fine of R$500,000.

Why is letting children access such apps a problem? Everything is related to ECA Digital. The legislation, which aims to protect children and teenagers online, establishes that platform owners must carry out age verification to prevent minors from accessing adult content. Gambling, betting and the like are considered prohibited subjects for minors and teenagers.

Although only one game was mentioned, the lawyer states that there are other titles of this type. Márlon Reis, Anced's lawyer and one of the authors of the action, mentions that there are at least six game titles that simulate casino and are available for download by minors, even if the rating is for 18 years or older.

WHAT APPLE SAYS

When consulted, Apple reported that it is carrying out tests to allow age verification in the country. The company says that the feature is in the testing phase, "expected to be made available to all users in the country through a software update in the coming months."

The company says parents can set up Family Sharing. Through this feature, guardians can create an account for their children and determine parental controls. In these supervised accounts, parents can control downloads, purchases and content, as well as allowing or not allowing the purchase of items and limiting phone usage time.

In the UK, Apple has had age verification since April this year. There, checking is done using credit card information or by capturing an identity document.

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