The FBI has released public service announcement about privacy concerns when comes to Toys.
While this PSA should not cause you to make a run to the wooden store or take a class on how to do wood working like Agent Gibbs, it does raise a valid concerns in this age of the connected devices. Yes, many toys are now connected devices. Toys now have sensors, microphones, cameras, GPS and data storage components in them Some even have speech recognition software.
FBI wants parents and guardians to be more aware of what toys can now do and what data they collect can be used for. FBI said
Consumers should examine toy company user agreement disclosures and privacy practices, and should know where their family’s personal data is sent and stored, including if it’s sent to third-party services. Security safeguards for these toys can be overlooked in the rush to market them and to make them easy to use. Consumers should perform online research of these products for any known issues that have been identified by security researchers or in consumer reports.
You can find more information about protecting y your child’s privacy when purchasing smart toys in the FBI’s public service announcement, which we have linked to above.
