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There’s a creepy doll on sale that might be spying on your kids
time2017/02/09
SUMMARY
My Friend Cayla has some rather worrying links to the US military.
Are you worried that this year’s hot Christmas toys might be spying on your kids? You should be.
My Friend Cayla will learn your child’s name, their school, hometown, and more in order to talk more naturally, but it can also send the audio recordings it makes to other companies… including one allegedly with links to the US military.
Cayla was a Christmas bestseller back when it was launched in 2014, and the range is still sold in the UK from £29.99.
Now a consumer group has lodged a complaint with the US trade regulator that this doll – as well as the i-Que Intelligent Robot targeted at boys – are both “running afoul of rules that protect children’s privacy”.
Even more worryingly Cayla and i-Que are both always listening for voices, unlike other toys which have button-activated microphones, like the interactive Hello Barbie doll.
Sadly, as more toys become internet-connected, privacy concerns are growing, especially as toys outsource their ability to understand speech to third-parties like Nuance Communication, which has contracts with the US military, intelligence services, and police.
“When a toy collects personal information about a child, families have a right to know, and they need to have meaningful choices to decide how their kids’ data is used,” said Katie McInnis, technology policy counsel for Consumers Union.
How exactly are these voice recordings being used? We don’t really know, but in thousands of homes across the UK today there are modern toys with microphones and the ability to record and upload what they hear.
And that’s enough to give anyone pause for thought.