The worst nightmare for a brand is that a product for children contains pornographic material. That has happened to Lidl in the UK. What has happened?
Lidl has withdrawn from the United Kingdom all the stock of several bags with snacks for the Paw Patrol breakfast, a product for children. It also refunds the price to anyone who returns them. The reason is that these bags are printed with a web page, which contains pornographic material. How is it possible?
These are the bags Paw Patrol Mini Butter Cookies, Choc Chip Mini Biscotti Cookies, Raspberry Flavored Bars, and Apple Flavored Bars. Sold exclusively in supermarkets Lidl.
At first it seems that does not affect products for sale in Spainsince the controversial website is focused on the Anglo-Saxon market.
Paw Patrol Lidl bags, with porn
Lidl has issued a statement requesting the total withdrawal of the product:
“Lidl Great Britain is recalling the above branded product because we have been made aware that the supplier’s URL on the back of the pack has been compromised and is being directed to a site not suitable for children’s consumption.” .
And he continues: “We recommend that customers refrain from viewing the URL and return the product to the nearest store, where they will be refunded in full. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your cooperation.”
The press release suggests that the website has been hacked, but a TechCrunch investigation concludes that the reason is negligence on the part of the product’s manufacturer: did not renew the domain name of the weband has been bought by a scoundrel who uses children’s websites to upload pornographic advertisements.
The website in question, which we do not include because it contains pornographic ads and possibly malware, shows a blank page with an error, or a Chinese search engine, when accessed from the PC. But if you enter from the mobile, then the aforementioned adult ads appear.
Reviewing the public information of the domain, until recently it belonged to Appy Kids Co, a brand of the company Appy Food & Drinks, which manufactures food products for the Paw Patrol. But since a few monthsThe Dominion belongs to a person living in Lianyungang, China.
Appy Food and Drinks closed in June 2022 so most likely right after the web domain registration expired, and no one renewed it. That Chinese citizen bought it, and uses it to upload porn.
However, Lidl has continued to sell products that include that website, until now. And he can’t do anything, because the domain is no longer yours, and that Chinese person has not done anything illegal: bought a domain that was free, and uses it to upload pornographic advertising. It remains to be seen if he knew that the web was used with a children’s product before.
The underlying problem here, in addition to the negligence of Appy Food & Drinks, is that the domain has the word “kids” (children), and no alarm has gone off in the registrars, or Internet providers. Any domain associated with children’s terms should be prohibited from uploading pornography.
We already know why Paw Patrol breakfast bags in Lidl supermarkets in the UK show pornography on their website: the domain expired, nobody renewed it, and someone in China bought it, to upload porn.