Not gonna lie, issues aren’t trying nice for NGL.
The FTC is banning NGL from serving minors or promoting to them, marking the primary time that the federal government company has taken this form of motion in opposition to an app.
You would possibly acknowledge the app from your pals’ Instagram tales, when individuals submit hyperlinks to asking mates to ship in nameless questions. That’s principally the crux of the product – like a number of apps that got here earlier than it, it permits you to open your self to nameless questions out of your friends.
NGL was alleged to be totally different, as a result of it was marketed as having AI that might filter out cyberbullying, which has traditionally been an enormous problem with nameless apps like this. However the FTC alleges that these claims round AI content material moderation are misleading.
In a press launch, FTC chair Lina Khan stated, “NGL marketed its app to youngsters and youths regardless of figuring out that it was exposing them to cyberbullying and harassment. In gentle of NGL’s reckless disregard for youths’ security, the FTC’s order would ban NGL from advertising or providing its app to these beneath 18.”
NGL has additionally been accused of sending pretend questions, then prompting customers to pay a $9.99 month-to-month payment to get hints on who requested these questions. As TechCrunch reported in 2022, it’s extremely seemingly that NGL was, in reality, baiting customers with these pretend questions.
What does this imply for the way forward for nameless query apps? Extra right here on the TechCrunch Minute.
