FOLLOW US

America December 24, 2022 2 mins read

Epic Games Hit with $520 Million Fine for Violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act

America ı By Rochdi Rais

0 Comments

Fortnite - Erik Mclean via Unsplash

Epic Games, creator of the popular video game Fortnite, was struck with the Federal Trade Commission’s largest penalty ever for a rule break this week.

The developer will pay $520 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act as well as for luring millions of players into making unintended in-game purchases using a technique called “Dark patterns.”

Fortnite is free to play and generates billions of dollars from in-game purchases, such as digital skins for players’ characters and seasonal “Battle Passes” that provide valuable items as a user spends more time playing.

In a release breaking down Epic’s violations, the FTC said that the game’s “counterintuitive, inconsistent and confusing button configuration led players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button,” including while players thought the game was in sleep mode or in a loading screen.

“These tactics led to hundreds of millions of dollars in unauthorized charges for consumers,” the FTC said.

Fortnite also allowed children to buy its in-game currency “without requiring any parents or cardholder action or consent.” Parents complained that their kids “racked up hundreds of dollars in charges before they realized Epic had charged their credit card without their consent.”

“The laws have not changed, but their application has evolved and long-standing industry practices are no longer enough,” Epic said in a statement in response to the penalty. “We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.”

Of the $520 million fine, $245 million will be set aside for customer refunds.

 

Previous Article

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda, takes a plea deal in the FTX scandal

Read More
2773 Posts

Rochdi Rais

Rochdi Rais is the Head of Growth and financial and legal writer at USA Herald. He has been writing and editing financial, legal and U.S. news for years with over +4000 articles published during his career.

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to join the discussion!

Don’t Miss It
America October 23, 2026 Cybersecurity Experts Warn Users to Strengthen Their Digital Defenses By – Jackie Allen
America October 23, 2026
Connor Hellebuyck Traded to New Jersey…

The New Jersey Devils have made a major move to…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 23, 2026
Education Department Drops PSLF Challenge, Delivering…

Federal student loan borrowers have secured a significant victory after…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 23, 2026
Humana and UnitedHealthcare Cancel Medicare Advantage…

Nearly 1 million Americans are facing a shake-up in their…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 23, 2026
Lawyers Could Collect $1.27 Billion in…

Outside lawyers in the Meta privacy case could collect up…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 23, 2026
Plutonium Pit Production Faces Safety and…

WASHINGTON — The Energy Department has approved full construction of…

By – Michallie K Harrison
Breaking News October 23, 2026
Powerful 7.0 Earthquake Strikes Tibet: At…

LHASA, Tibet — A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck a…

By – Derek Johnson
America October 23, 2026
Wall Street Rattled: Nasdaq Plunges 2.6%…

NEW YORK — A fresh wave of doubt about the…

By – Derek Johnson
America October 23, 2026
Judge Orders Trump to Sit for…

MIAMI — President Donald Trump must sit for a sworn…

By – Derek Johnson
America October 22, 2026
Pope Leo XIV Needs No Further…

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV will not require additional…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 22, 2026
Six Women Testify in Russell Brand…

LONDON — Six women have testified in the Russell Brand…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 22, 2026
Websites Go Dark as AI Uncovers…

The PHP security crisis has pushed government websites offline and…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 21, 2026
El Nino Could Reach Historic Strength,…

GENEVA — El Nino, a powerful climate pattern that warms…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
News Overload Can Fuel Anxiety and…

News keeps people informed about wars, political conflict, public safety…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
Atlanta Rapper Indicted in Alleged $4.6…

ATLANTA — Shawtey Dred, the social media persona of Atlanta…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
Musk and Trump Have a Starlink…

Opinion | Starlink restrictions in Ukraine have exposed a problem Elon Musk…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 21, 2026
Texas Trans Texts Spark Election Propaganda…

News Analysis | Texas voters began casting early ballots Monday,…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
California Ballots: DOJ Cites Charges Against…

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is citing charges against 28…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
Richard Riehle Dies at 78, Leaving…

Richard Riehle, the character actor whose memorable roles included “Office…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 21, 2026
Meta Stock in Focus as Earnings,…

Meta delivered a powerful revenue performance in its third-quarter earnings…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 21, 2026
Pantheon $6B Secondaries Fund Marks Firm’s…

Private markets investor Pantheon has secured $6 billion in capital…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
TDI Launches Insurance Fraud Task Force…

The Texas Department of Insurance has launched a coordinated push…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
Children’s Mercy Insurance Coverage Changes: Kansas…

Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City will no longer participate…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
BioWare Closing: EA Shuts Down Legendary…

Electronic Arts is reshaping its videogame empire in a sweeping…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 20, 2026
Auto-Owners Insurers Verdict: Jury Awards Warehouse…

A North Carolina federal jury has awarded nearly $2 million…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 20, 2026
Extreme Heat Is Spreading and Lasting…

An extreme heat event lasting 367 days touched nearly 85%…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 16, 2026
HealthSplash VP 18 Months Sentencing Rewards…

Cooperation can shave years off a prison term, but it…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
Daylight Saving Time Returns Nov. 1…

Americans will turn their clocks back one hour on Nov.…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 16, 2026
California Identifies New York Life, Aetna,…

Key Takeaways   California’s Department of Insurance maintains an official…

By – Samuel Lopez
America October 16, 2026
Three Children, Teacher Killed in Oregon…

BEND, Ore. — An Oregon school shooting killed three children…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 15, 2026
Trump Scraps Hegseth’s Execution Livestream After…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump canceled the planned execution livestream…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 19, 2026
Information Ecosystem: Five Tools to Detect…

The information ecosystem is increasingly vulnerable to misinformation. There are…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 19, 2026
An Airman Died After a Pregame…

By Michallie K. Harrison | Opinion Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson’s…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 16, 2026
NFL Player $300M Hip Surgery Lawsuit…

Athletes bet their bodies on surgeons the way pilots bet…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
Russian Drone Strikes Hit American Businesses…

Russian drone strikes against American-linked businesses in Ukraine are raising…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 11, 2026
AP Poll Top 25: Georgia Claims…

Georgia has reclaimed the top spot in the AP Poll…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 10, 2026
A.J. Armstrong: Former NFL Player’s Son…

 HOUSTON — Antonio “A.J.” Armstrong Jr., the son of former…

By – Jackie Allen

No posts found.

No posts found.

Signup for the USA Herald
exclusive Newsletter