Electronics, the Web and Kids
News of an "eavesdropping Barbie. " News from Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood: At February's Toy Fair 2015 in New York City, Mattel unveiled "Hello Barbie," the Wi-Fi-connected doll that uses an embedded microphone to record children's voices—and other nearby conversations. Georgetown University Law Professor Angela Campbell, Faculty Advisor to the school's Center on Privacy and Technology, said, "If I had a young child, I would be very concerned that my child's intimate conversations with her doll were being recorded and analyzed. In Mattel's demo, Barbie asks many questions that would elicit a great deal of information about a child, her interests, and her family. This information could be of great value to advertisers and be used to market unfairly to children." Will you take a moment to ask Mattel CEO Christopher Sinclair to stop the marketing and production of "Hello Barbie"? Also from the CCFC:...