Garmany’s Telecoms regulator the Federal Network Agency (The Bundesnetzagentur) which oversees the country’s telecommunications has banned smartwatches for kids in the country calling them spying devices. It has also urged parents to destroy these watches mostly used by children between the ages of 5 and 12 years.
The decision came months after the agency banned “My Friend Cayla Doll” citing that the smart toy conducts surveillance, listens to kids conversations and responds to them in real-time. Bundesnetzagentur described the doll as an authentic example of “unauthorized wireless transmitting equipment.”
In the latest decision, the agency also described these watches as “unauthorized transmitters.”
While authorities are asking parents to get rid of these watches, a crackdown against some of the firms selling them online has already been initiated. Schools in the country are also asked to be more vigilant about using such watches.
“Via an app, parents can use such children’s watches to listen unnoticed to the child’s environment, and they are to be regarded as an unauthorized transmitting system,” said Homann.
According to Bundesnetzagentur’s press release, these watches have a SIM card and a limited telephony function, which are set up and controlled via an app. Such a monitoring function is often referred to as a “baby monitor” or “monitor function.” The app owner can specify that the watch, unnoticed by the carrier, calls any phone number. This enables him to listen unnoticed to the conversations of the watch wearer and his environment. Such a monitoring function is prohibited in Germany.
In October this year, consumer watchdog Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) said that there are some severe security flaws in smartwatches for kids that can be exploited, hacked and tracked the current location of kids and trick their parents to display a different location. The watches tested by researchers were equipped with real-time location tracking and facilitated two-way calls with some selected contacts.
NCC also found out that these smartwatches store and transmit data without encryption that once exploited can pose a serious threat. “It’s very serious when products that claim to make children safer instead put them at risk because of poor security and features that do not work properly. Importers and retailers must know what they stock and sell. These watches have no place on a shop’s shelf, let alone on a child’s wrist,” said NCC’s Finn Myrstad.
In a Tweet, Myrstad revealed that Danish Consumer Council has also filed a complaint to authorities against kids smartwatches.
VERY interesting day. Danish Consumer Council files complaint to DPA against kids smartwatches & German Telecom Regulator BANS the watches from German market, following a complaint by German Consumer Federation. #WatchOut / all research here: https://t.co/chd6hsiXfL https://t.co/CZpYpx2seq
— Finn Lützow-Holm Myrstad (@finnmyrstad) November 17, 2017
