In the final spurt, the Federal Network Agency warns of intelligent toys or networked everyday objects with hidden camera or microphone functions when shopping for Christmas. According to her, such products “encroach on the privacy of users or those around them”. The Federal Network Agency therefore speaks of “espionage devices”.
Covert camera
For example, if a smartwatch has a listening option such as “voice monitoring” or “baby monitor function” or a concealed camera in addition to the normal way to make calls, it is banned in Germany, according to the Federal Network Agency. The watch’s microphone and camera could be activated either via the app or via an SMS command. All voices and noises in the environment could then be heard by a third party. Neither the wearer of the smartwatch nor his conversation partner could recognize this.
Even vacuum robots should not be used in this country if they can secretly transfer images or audio files to the owner’s smartphone via WLAN or Bluetooth, explains the authority. This applies if the room cleaners “give neither acoustic nor visual indications that a recording could be recognized by a third party”. Several such products available on the market are currently being examined.
Larger robots controlled by app or assistance systems that make everyday life easier are also subject to the ban, according to the Federal Network Agency. The same applies to networked toys such as a remote-controlled car with a hidden camera. Particular care should be taken with “smart toys” that connect to the Internet.
“Spies in the nursery”
By the end of last year, the authority had classified three networked toys as “prohibited transmission systems”. These “spies in the nursery” are no longer allowed to be sold or used in Germany. The decisions concern, for example, the doll “My Friend Cayla”, which was withdrawn from use in 2017, a robot that also communicates with the offspring, and a remote-controlled toy tank that shoots and transmits photos.
The Federal Network Agency recommends avoiding the purchase of GPS / GSM trackers that have an eavesdropping function. In principle, anyone who has knowledge of the telephone number of the SIM card of the locating device could use this here. “Particularly insidious” are products “that look like everyday objects and can take pictures and sound unnoticed”. Even fragrance dispensers or tissue boxes have recently attracted attention with such functions. It is therefore advisable to read the product description carefully before buying.
The number of relevant products that the authority had deleted from Internet platforms in 2021 has more than doubled compared to the previous year. In 2020, 2170 such devices were affected, this year there are already over 4600. If there is any uncertainty as to whether a certain object is prohibited, consumers can contact [email protected] or by phone from Monday to Friday from 09:00 to At 12:00 noon, contact experts at the Federal Network Agency on 030 / 22480-500 and find out more on a special website.
(olb)