Telephone manufacturers were notified by the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon) on suspicion of pre-install betting apps on new cell phones .
The eight notified companies were given a 10-day deadline to respond to the Secretariat’s questions. Senacon questions the existence of possible agreements between cell phone manufacturers and companies in the gambling . The National Consumer Secretary, Wadih Damous, sees a risk for the most vulnerable population, such as children and the elderly.
“Pre-installing applications, without due consent and transparency, can constitute an abusive practice, especially when it affects more vulnerable consumers, such as children and the elderly,” he warns.
Manufacturers will also need to present copies of the contracts signed with betting companies for a more detailed analysis of the terms. If they do not comply with the requirements, the companies may suffer sanctions for disobedience, such as fines and opening of administrative proceedings .
The companies notified were Samsung Brazil, DL Electronic Products Trade and Industry (Xiaomi distributor), LG Brazil, Motorola Mobility, Positivo, Multilaser, TCL Semp Electronics and Asus Brazil.
The questions to be answered within the deadline given by the body are:
- Are new cell phones being sold with pre-installed betting apps?
- What are the pre-installed betting games if the answer is yes?
- Does the manufacturer have any contract or commercial agreement with betting companies to market cell phones with these applications?
If such agreements exist, Senacon requests the following details:
- What are the terms of the signed contracts?
- Are consumers being clearly informed about their rights, the conditions and terms of use of the applications, as well as the risks of debt and gambling addiction (a medical condition characterized by the uncontrollable desire to continue playing, recognized by the World Health Organization) associated with betting?
- Are there mechanisms to prevent the use of these applications by children, adolescents or other vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and people with gaming addiction?
This content was originally published in Eight cell phone manufacturers are notified for pre-installing betting apps on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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