is the toy season! We shopping for games, stuffed animals and dolls barbie ... espionage?
People are increasingly aware of the concerns of online privacy during the holiday season (and every season!) The importance of securing your Internet connection when purchase online, the need to use a VPN while traveling and connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. But there is another emerging concern this holiday season - the safety of popular technological toys are bought for children
Stimulated by the recent news that VTech, an electronic learning company, suffered a cyber attack, there have been growing concerns. the security of high-tech toys and what information they are collecting and sharing on children who use them. For VTech, the company announced that "five million customer accounts and profiles of children associated around the world" have been compromised, including information such as names and birthdays, email addresses and mailing and details on the behavior of the user. to gather more alarm, it was reported that it was possible to determine the family home / address using the compromised information. the information of more than 3 million customers Hello Kitty was also violated recently when an online database including names, dates of birth, gender, e-mail and password advice was discovered. much of this information probably belongs to children.
a conversation started about the issue of privacy and technology toys for children, with experts, concerned parents and toy manufacturers weighing. As reported in the Washington Post, Jeffrey Chester Executive Director of the Center for Digital democracy, described the problem "companies of toys are rushing to cash in on the changing nature of childhood to Big Data era where Internet connected toys are connecting children to a extensive monitoring network. " He continued:
"These toys can watch their every move, turning what should be a harmless and enjoyable experience into something potentially more sinister.
As technology becomes ubiquitous part of our lives, it is important that we remain aware of how our devices work and the implications of their use of privacy. As stated in an article in the Huffington Post, "As VTech incident showed us the" benign ", toys and Wi-Fi enabled devices acute for consumers with clever marketing by large enterprises have a dark side. If consumers value privacy within their homes, they need to think twice before putting any of these smart toys and gadgets in their carts and under the tree. "
We took a look at some of the hot tech toys of the year, in an effort to bring some awareness to the issue.
the Tech
toysHello Barbie
recent Mattel, Barbie high Tech - and one of the alarm causing toys children talk to the doll and he responds. back. the conversations run on Wi-Fi, servers that use AI to analyze and formulate an appropriate response to the child, which is then returned. the data are unsurprisingly stored. Some concerns this doll has been highlighted by the Guardian: "He was the ease with which the doll was compromise that was of most concern. The information stored by the doll could allow hackers to take control of a Wi-Fi network, and from there to access other devices connected to the Internet to steal personal information and cause other problems owners, potentially without their knowledge. "
teddy bear or monkey smart
Similar to Barbie, this plush toy is marketed as an" interactive learning toy "that speaks to children and remembers what they say. Officials say it will not send voice data over the Internet. Instead, the device "verifies a secure server every day to see if any new activities for your toy to learn and remember how engaged a child in every activity."
LeapPad Platinum with Imagicard & LeapFrog Epic
These tablets for children are educational toys that come with applications, as well as additional Android titles you can download . Since they are wireless connected devices they run on your Wi-Fi network. Many other companies make similar products, and some devices compromised in the hack were VTech tablet for children
How can -you improve privacy
be aware.? Recognizing that "smart toys" can come with risks of privacy is essential, and to understand the implications of privacy can help you make a more informed decision about buying or using these toys
Protect your connection across devices :. Use VyprVPN to encrypt your Internet connection across devices is a good step to take. All intelligent toys work the same way, but a VPN offers more privacy and security when connecting to the Internet - and can help protect your privacy when using applications on your smartphone
Protect your home. As the IoT (Internet of Things) continues to grow, so does the vulnerability of devices in your homes. Protecting your home network, you can protect the devices connected to it. VyprVPN our application router, for example, will secure elements connected to your home network.
There are certainly many things to keep in mind when shopping this holiday season, and as always privacy must be considered. Will you buy tech toys this year? What do you do to protect your privacy across devices? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below
Sources :. Toy Insider, Giz Mag, Common Sense Media, SMH
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