The FBI wants you to know that internet-connected toys, sometimes called “smart toys” are vulnerable to hackers. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center lists a litany of problems in its release, saying strangers can pinpoint your address, get childrens’ names and birth dates, download your son or daughter’s photo and even listen in on your conversations and record your child’s voice. In Europe, where they worry more about new technologies, some countries have even warned parents to destroy toys with proven vulnerabilities. What to do? One solution is to skip high tech internet-connected toys altogether. But if you are a tech-friendly parent, there is another option: Look for internet-connected toys that are certified by the FTC’s Safe Harbor Program, which means they are guaranteed to protect childrens’ privacy. I will link you to that program from EasyMoneyShow.com/53.
FTC Certified internet-connected toys: www.ftc.gov/safe-harbor-program
