By Emmanuel Elebeke

WE are living in an increasingly connected world where the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud technologies are moving into our homes and our lives so much so  that even children’s toys are ‘connected.’

Connected toys may come in the form of squeezable stuffed animals, dolls, or plastic dinosaurs, with built-in electronic components such as speakers, wireless receivers and transmitters, recording devices, and cloud connection capability.

Studies have shown that these toys are capable of ‘listening’ and having conversations.

In some cases, they learn by interacting with kids, the recordings of voices and data are uploaded and stored in the cloud, helping toys to become smarter day by the day.

Some more sophisticated IoT toys are equipped with cameras, motion activators and sensors, and Bluetooth.

Cybersecurity concerns

The growing popularity of Internet-connected toys, however, has raised privacy issues as well as cybersecurity concerns. This has raised the question, between hi-tech toys and privacy – where do we draw the line?

A research study conducted by the University of Washington found that many child participants in the study did not know the connected-toys were listening and recording their conversations, and their parents were concerned about their children’s privacy being violated.

According to the survey, personal information stored in the cloud and, conversations and activities occurring within the house, school or day-care facilities could be easily obtained by cyber criminals.

However, founder of Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), Stephen Balkam, said “tech companies themselves are taking a much more proactive approach. They understand that they need to make sure their products are trustworthy, safe, and have privacy controls otherwise people won’t use them.

“There has just been this rush to market by a number of toy manufacturers because they see that kids are so enthralled by electronics that they also want to do the same for toys. We are hoping to strike that message to toy manufacturers.”

To guide against the risk of falling victim to cyber criminals, the study advised parents to be beware of the red flags before purchasing a connected toy. It also urged parents to be knowledgeable of how the toy works, its capabilities, what type of data it can collect and where they are stored.

Also, it advised parents to do sufficient research and look out for red flags that could pose potential security risks. For example, they were asked to check if there are any known security issues associated with the product as well as the toy company.

The study indicated that a publication had been launched in July for Connected Families that looks at parental attitudes, not only fears and concerns but also hopes and aspirations of these connected devices and toys in their homes.

Mobile  technology

Balkam asserted,“We are going to keep raising awareness of what this new world looks like in the way that we did ten years ago when suddenly we had a world with Web 2.0 and mobile technologies that didn’t exist ten years before that.

“Tech companies themselves are taking a much more proactive approach. They understand that they need to make sure their products are trustworthy, safe, and have privacy controls otherwise people won’t use them.”