If you’ve ever wanted to put a real-life ball and chain on your child – then look no further than a smartwatch.
These ‘cute’ brightly coloured watches look innocent on the outside, but the tech inside is so bad, that German regulators are urging parents to destroy them immediately.
If you’ve bought one – read this update carefully.
It turns out these smartwatches are the 21st century version of a child’s leash, only with much darker consequences.
Tech-savvy parents innocently bought into the devices as a “smart” way to track their children’s’ every move, via the built-in GPS chip.
Most smartphones can be tracked, but for younger children, these devices offer a neat solution for a couple of hundred pounds, before buying your kid their first smartphone.
But as the tech has moved on, a line has been crossed from convenience to downright disturbing.
The latest models boast built-in microphones and sim cards, offering hackers and spies a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
This might sound dramatic, but Germany’s Federal Network Agency, the state regulator, were so concerned by the woeful security in these devices they’ve banned them outright.
Listening in on your kids
The issue concerning experts the most is the ‘eavesdropping’ feature which allows parents (and potentially anyone with limited technical expertise) to listen in remotely, using the smartwatch’s built in microphones.
Described as a “unauthorised transmitting equipment” – the act of recording people’s conversations in public without consent is a breach of German federal law. The Federal Network Agency also found cases of parents using the devices to illegally listen in on their children’s classes at school.
Connected devices need a rethink
This isn’t the first connected device that’s crossed a line and it certainly won’t be the last.
As we reported earlier this year, toymaker Mattel’s ‘Amazon Alexa for kids’ had to be swiftly recalled and cancelled due to serious concerns over privacy. While over in the adults world, even your most intimate moments have become a security threat.
It’s still early days for connected devices. We’ve spent the past 2 years slating smart home technologies for their woeful approach to privacy and near uselessness when the home wifi goes down. Early adopters of smart home tech and smartwatches have been unpaid beta testers, giving up their personal data in the process for little in return.
In time, things do get better
As with any new product, the tech matures, the kinks get ironed out and it hits the mainstream. Over the past 6 months we’ve seen that happen with Apple Watches and even smart home devices, which are found in almost a quarter of all British homes.
So undoubtedly, in time, children’s smartwatches will also get better.
If you’re a parent, buying a kids smartwatch might look attractive.
But ask yourself – is it worth the risk?
The post Germany does the right thing, bans ‘creepy’ kids smartwatches appeared first on The Memo.