Mattel Under Fire In Hello Barbie Privacy Fight
Mattel's high-tech Barbie upgrade, giving the classic doll an injection of Siri-style smarts, has come under fire from privacy advocates concerned the listening doll is more creep than companion. Announced back in February, Hello Barbie looks outwardly like a regular doll, but has a microphone and WiFi connectivity hidden inside. By making conversation with kids, the doll can learn what they enjoy doing, ask them questions about their favorite things, and generally become more personalized.
For Mattel, it's all about making Hello Barbie the toy kids reach for first, given the wide array of distractions now on offer. The doll uses technology developed by ToyTalk, creating customized stories and jokes based on things the child has mentioned in the past.
However the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) isn't so enamored. Its concern is that Hello Barbie is basically a spy in the playroom, passing back details innocently shared by the child but which could be turned to hyper-specific marketing purposes.
"Kids using "Hello Barbie"' won't only be talking to a doll, they'll be talking directly to a toy conglomerate whose only interest in them is financial," the CCFC said today. "It's creepy – and creates a host of dangers for children and families."
Meanwhile, the group points to ToyTalk's privacy policy, which suggests that the company can store and analyze the recordings from the doll:
"We may use, store, process and transcribe Recordings in order to provide and maintain the Service, to perform, test or improve speech recognition technology and artificial intelligence algorithms, or for other research and development and data analysis purposes" ToyTalk
CEO Oren Jacob didn't resort to such legalese in speaking to the Washington Post on the controversy. "The data is never used for anything to do with marketing or publicity or any of that stuff," he insisted to the paper. "Not at all."
Parents would be expected to set up an account with ToyTalk and give consent to recordings taking place, Jacob confirmed.
As for Mattel, the company told the paper that it "is committed to safety and security, and Hello Barbie conforms to applicable government standards."
CCFC has begun a petition, calling for Mattel to axe Hello Barbie before the doll's launch this fall.
VIA Washington Post
SOURCE CCFC