You are an ID10T: Shared family CC?

Here’s a classic blast from the past. Remember when Google first rolled out the family plan for their shiny new music service?

They required users to attach a valid credit card to the family plan. One that any family member could use to make purchases. No restrictions. No questions asked. Who thought it was a good idea to give kids unrestricted access to a credit card with zero spending controls?

You might be thinking: if the music’s already covered by a subscription, what’s the big deal? The issue was that the same “Family Plan” setup gave kids on Android phones free rein to rack up charges on that shared card. Eventually, Google introduced PIN codes for purchases, but kids quickly figured out how to bypass them.

Unsurprisingly, thousands of pounds were burned through before Google finally woke up and took action.

And the cherry on top? Google acting puzzled over why more people weren’t flocking to their music plans.

Google, YOU are an ID10T!