Summary Parents who purchased the doll for their children are told to destroy it
BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities banned the talking doll Cayla in recent time as the software inside her could be hacked, posing a security risk and allowing personal data to be revealed.
The Federal Network Agency in Germany suggested that parents who have purchased the doll for their children should immediately destroy it. The software in the doll was created by an American company named Genesis Toy. It allows a child to have conversation with the doll while playing with it.
"The Cayla doll is banned in Germany," agency head Jochen Homann said. "This is also about protecting the weakest members of society."
Homann said that the doll carried a risk of spying and could intrude privacy.
Researcher Stefan Hessel, who had examined the toy and alerted the agency, said hackers could use an unsecure bluetooth device embedded in it to listen and talk to the child playing with it.
"In a test, I was able to hack the toy even through several walls. It lacks any security features," Hessel told the German website Netzpolitik.org. The toy has been discontinued for the moment.
