Nearly three months after Brazilian authorities first questioned Apple over betting apps accessible to minors, the company has been given five business days to provide additional details about its App Store safeguards. Here are the details.
Apple has come under pressure on regulatory and age verification issues
Last April, Brazilian officials was warned Apple and Google are concerned about the lack of age controls on betting apps in their respective app stores.
At the time, the National Digital Rights Secretariat (Sedigi) and the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon) sent letters to both companies, asking about the existence of “numerous programs” that offer or facilitate access to betting platforms by minors.
Brazil recently passed a new law known as ECA Digital, which requires app stores to restrict access to gambling content by minors, and Apple responded: implementation of age guarantee measures for 18+ programs in the country.
Still, officials said their initial survey found numerous betting programs that appeared to lack appropriate age restrictions or federal approval, raising questions about how effectively those safeguards are being enforced.
While there is little transparency around Apple’s full response, agencies now say a significant portion of the company’s initial questions have been answered. However, they are looking for more information.
From Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security (via Canaltech):
Clarifications required include how regulatory approvals of applications submitted in Brazil are confirmed; Technical criteria used to distinguish simulation programs from betting applications with economic value, including when features are hidden or changed after approval; and mechanisms adopted to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content.
Information on active monitoring procedures was also requested; risk prioritization criteria; average removal time after detection; and a schedule for implementing announced remedial actions, including a software update, designed to prevent users under 18 from downloading applications not recommended for that age group.
The secretariats noted that Google’s responses were less than satisfactory and asked for details on how the company verifies authorized operators, monitors apps with suspended or expired licenses, measures app effectiveness, and prevents minors from finding or downloading betting apps.
Ultimately, the secretaries demanded that Apple’s and Google’s responses be made public, but allowed classified information to be made available separately under limited access.
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