WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined developers of several mobile applications for false claims that they could detect melanoma symptoms, the agency said in a statement.
“In two separate cases, marketers of MelApp and Mole Detective have agreed to settlements that bar them from continuing to make such unsupported claims,” Monday's release read. “The agency is pursuing charges against two additional marketers of Mole Detective who did not agree to settle.”
The releases explained that according to the FTC’s complaints, each of the apps instructed users to photograph a mole with a smartphone camera and input other information about it. The apps were supposed to calculate the mole’s melanoma risk as low, medium, or high.
The apps’ marketers have agreed to settlement deals with the FTC. They are now prohibited to claim that these apps can detect or diagnose melanoma unless the representation is truthful and supported by reliable scientific evidence.
The marketer of Mole Detective, New Consumer Solutions, will pay $3,930, while the FTC will pursue a litigated judgment against its non-settling successor UK-based L Health Ltd. The marketer for MelApp Health Discovery Corporation must pay $17,063.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer, developing in the cells that produce pigment melanin.
FTC is an independent agency of the US government responsible for preventing business practices that are noncompetitive, deceptive or unfair to consumers.
