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"Smart" Dolls are Potential Privacy Nightmares

posted by CoolHand on Friday December 09 2016, @11:29AM   Printer-friendly
from the creepy-big-brother dept.

charon writes:

The "My Friend Cayla" doll uses voice recognition to hear what a child says and connects to the internet to find suitable responses. The potential for surveillance worries EPIC enough for them to file a formal complaint to the US Federal Trade commission.

The makers of the i-Que and Cayla smart toys have been accused of subjecting children to "ongoing surveillance" and posing an "imminent and immediate threat" to their safety and security.

The accusations come via a formal complaint in the US by consumer groups.

They, along with several EU bodies, are calling for investigations into the manufacturers.

And if that's not good enough, it can also be hacked to say anything, including the naughty words which are supposed to be blocked.

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  • (Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Friday December 09 2016, @10:47PM

    by Joe Desertrat (2454) on Friday December 09 2016, @10:47PM (#439460)

    Has everyone forgotten that the world worked just fine before we spy-enabled every last damn thing in sight!!!

    We start to sound like "get off my lawn" cranks, but damn, I feel like I've spent my computing life struggling to make sure I retain control of my own computer. To extend that to every aspect of my life is something I am not at all interested in seeing happen. They have already forced smart meters upon us for electricity and water (putting meter readers out of good jobs, by the way) and probably other utilities as well for "our" benefit. I can see no necessary reason to let them at anything else I use. I'm sure though that those of us who refuse to submit voluntarily will eventually be having it forced upon us with any new things we buy (open the box and you have agreed to the Terms of Service!). Time to cover the entire house with tinfoil!

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