A German privacy watchdog is encouraging parents to get rid of “My Friend Cayla” which is a doll which has a tendency in storing personal information from it’s keeper.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency, named “Bundesnetzagentur,” voiced their warning since a student named Stefan Hessel discovered Cayla’s dodgy tendencies.
Stefan studies at the University of Saarland, he says Cayla’s speaker and microphone system are vulnerable to external attacks with the following statement.
“There are specific reasons the doll is a prohibited broadcasting system under the Telecommunications Act. Each bluetooth capable device within a range of about ten meters can connect to it and use speakers and microphone. In an attempt I had access to the doll over several walls. There is no built-in fuse.”
The notion that Cayla can function as an eavesdropper from several rooms away – or even allow others to talk to whoever’s playing with it – is just the latest issue to plague this doll. Let’s not forget the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a complaint against Cayla and i-Que Intelligent Robot, another toy made by a Los Angeles manufacturer called Genesis, for their ability to “record and collect the private conversations of young children without any limitations on collection, use, or disclosure of this personal information.”