Video: Is This High-Tech Barbie Watching You?
Hello Barbie is displayed at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair in New York. Mark Lennihan/AP
As more toys connect to the Internet, security concerns rise.
As the Internet of Things grows, so do privacy concerns. Now, even children's toys are hackable. Mattel's "Hello Barbie" contains a built-in speaker, microphone and a Wi-Fi chip that connects to servers in order to have conversations with children. Barbie can even remember information from previous chats, like a child's favorite color.
Oren Jacob, CEO and co-founder of Toy Talk, the company Mattel partnered with to give Hello Barbie her voice, says it works a lot like Apple's Siri.
"There are no people with headphones on listening to what children say," Jacob said. "Our servers process audio automatically."
Others aren't so sure. Hello Barbie recently won Germany's Big Brother Award for privacy violations along with the National Security Agency. Though if parents have concerns, they can access and delete any conversations their child had with Barbie.
Other toys are also getting high-tech upgrades. The "MyFriend Cayla" doll can also communicate with children, but its connection to smartphones isn't password protected, leaving it vulnerable to hacks. Meanwhile, Cognitoy's dinosaur doll is powered by IBM's Watson.
To learn more, check out the video below from CNET: