WASHINGTON: Alphabet Inc and Apple Ince have raised concerns with Amazon.com Inc after learning that children could access sexually explicit photographs on Kindle app, urging Amazon to strengthen its content moderation.
The warnings were provoked by questions posed by Reuters to spokespersons at the three firms about users’ ability, via the Kindle app, to access and sight online volumes of photographs of the naked female, with titles such as “75 hot fully nude images of a young blonde” and “Real Erotica: Amateur Naked Girls – Vol. 4″. Few appeared to show females and men engaging in sexual acts.
The companies said their concerns around policy violations but didn’t provide more details of how their rules were broken and their warnings to Amazon.
Pornography available through Amazon’s
Reuters learned of the problem when two families told Reuters their pre-teen sons downloaded the transparent material via Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited e-book subscription service and slighted the full-colour photographs on the Kindle iPhone app. Pornography was available via Amazon’s Kindle online store and can be viewed on versions of the Kindle app.
The parents, who rejected to be named, told Reuters they’re initially attracted to the 10-per-month dollar service because it offered access to age-appropriate book series, which would otherwise be expensive to purchase and weren’t available on Amazon’s Kids+ subscription service.
“We are committed to providing a secure shopping and reading experience for our vaued customers and their families, and we take issues like this seriously,” Amazon said in a statement to Reuters. “We’re reviewing all the available information and taking action based on our findings.”
In reference to Amazon, Apple said, “We have shared these concerns with the developer and were working with them to make sure their app complies with our guidelines.”
Google said, “Google Play doesn’t allow apps that contain and promote sexual content, and we have been in contact with the developer on this issue.”
Such exchanges are rare among tech companies, which, while competitive, rely on one another for a variety of services. The Kindle and Amazon apps are consistently among the most downloaded on Apple’s app stores and Google.
