Smartwatches For Kids Are a Total Privacy Nightmare (gizmodo.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Kids' smartwatches are usually intended to help parents feel at ease that their children are safe when they're not around. But as it turns out, a number of these devices may do more harm than good. A 49-page report on smartwatches for children details all the ways in which they are a security nightmare. The report (PDF), conducted by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) and European security firm Mnemonic, analyzed four kids' smartwatches -- Gator 2, Tinitell, Viksfjord, and Xplora. According the NCC's report, two of the aforementioned devices were vulnerable to hackers, affording them the ability to remotely control the apps on the device. Through a breached device, the NCC says a hacker could access information on a child's whereabouts in real-time, uncover their personal information, and even communicate with the child. What's more, one of the devices could allow someone "with some technical knowledge" to discreetly listen to the child's surroundings. Beyond these gross invasions of privacy, the Council said certain key features of these devices -- an SOS button and a feature that alerts parents when kids leave virtual boundaries -- were unreliable. The report also notes issues regarding collecting user data -- only one of the product's terms and services allowed parents to opt in to or out of data collection. And one watch, the Xplora app, gave up children's data to marketers, the NCC said.

Comments

It's part of growing up....

[argStyopa]

...I don't mean for the kids, I mean for the parents.

I've had 4 kids in their 20s now, and one of the hardest parts about parenting is understanding that these wonderful, exciting, challenging little creeps for which you feel more love than you could have ever previously imagined...need to live their own lives. Away from you, your sight, and the 24/7 concern you have for their well-being.

The world really isn't full of rabid dogs in every park, sexual predators around every corner, terrorists in every airplane, or thugs in every city. It feels that way sometimes, but it really isn't.

Just because you don't know where they are at this moment doesn't mean they're using drugs or getting murdered.

Teach them everything you can about the world and being responsible and smart. And then let them grow up, and get the fuck out of their way.

If you're like most parents, you'll never stop worrying about them. That's fine, that's your job. But as a parent who holds THEIR well-being above your own, you can't let your self-indulgent worry destroy their ability to be actualized people themselves. Grow up - and learn to keep that crap to yourself. Let them enjoy being them.