Germany’s telecommunications regulator has warned parents that a doll sold in the country could be used to snoop on families and compromise their personal information.
The regulator has recommended that parents immediately stop use of the “illegal” doll and destroy its internal microphone.
The doll — called My Friend Cayla — connects to the internet via Bluetooth. The setup allows it to listen and respond to questions like: “What’s the tallest animal in the world?” (Answer: Giraffe)
But the German regulator says the doll’s design violates privacy rules. They worry that it could be used to snoop on families.
“The ownership of this device is illegal,” said Olaf Peter Eul, a spokesman for the country’s telecoms regulator. “We expect people to act as lawful citizens and destroy the functionality of the doll.”
U.K.-based toy company Vivid, which distributes the dolls in Germany, said it was serious about “compliance with all applicable rules and regulations” and it was “working with our German partners to resolve this issue.”
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Pi Day, GitHub 2FA and much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
Your headline is misstating the actual situation somewhat – according to the most recent Risks in Computing digest:
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/30/16#subj9
the device is actually illegal. Putting the word in quotes in your headline implies that it really isn’t.
(I’d definitely trust the above newsletter over CNN)