German authorities are calling for the destruction of doll Cayla over hacking fears

Posted date 21/02/2017

The German Federal Network Agency has recommended the destruction of doll Cayla, an interactive toy that incorporates Internet connection and Bluethooh. These features make it a possible cyberspionage instrument, since a device with Bluetooth function could connect to the speaker and microphone doll system within a 10 meter radius.

If its software was hacked, it could reveal personal data from the family environment, since the doll asks personal questions to the children: name, address, school attended, etc. This data is stored on the Nuance Communications servers, a company that has agreements with US military and intelligence agencies.

As early as December 2016 the OCU alerted to toy safety faults based on a study by the Norwegian Consumer Council.