Barbados Times

Barbados, Caribbean & World News
Friday, Mar 29, 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

Barbados Times
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
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”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
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
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
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
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
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
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×