My Friend Cayla Doll
| My Friend Cayla Doll | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | My Friend Cayla Dolls Record Conversations with Children |
| Location | Global |
| Date | 2017 |
| Taxonomy | Surveillance, Insecurity |
| Information | Communication, Computer Device, Contact, Behavioral |
| Threat Actors | Genesis Toys |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | Children using Cayla dolls |
| High Risk Groups | Children |
| Secondary Consequences | |
The doll model My Friend Cayla was found to be recording conversations with children and sending them to remote servers without parental consent.
Description
My Friend Cayla is a model of an interactive doll produced by Genesis Toys. The doll uses speech recognition technology to be able to have a conversation with children who play with them.
Cayla dolls are connected to the internet and have microphones incorporated in them, recording conversations and transmitting audio files to a remote server without parental consent.Surveillance
The toy also allows a company to address the child or parents with advertising. Furthermore, Cayla dolls can be used unnoticed by third parties in the vicinity to eavesdrop on conversations or to speak through the doll's microphone. In 2017 the media was able to hack a doll and prove that Cayla’s Insecurity allows strangers to speak directly to children.
As a reaction to the privacy violations, the My Friend Cayla dolls were banned in Germany in 2017. However, it is still being sold in other countries.
Risk Statistics
Laws and Regulations
Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/24/opinion/sunday/surveillance-capitalism.html
https://www.cnet.com/news/parents-told-to-destroy-connected-dolls-over-hacking-fears/
https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2017/14012017 cayla.html?nn=265778
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39002142