EPIC has filed a landmark complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about “toys that spy.” The complaint alleges that My Friend Cayla and i-Que Robot violate federal privacy law. “The toys subject young children to ongoing surveillance,” EPIC said in a statement. The EPIC complaint targets manufacturer Genesis Toys and Nuance Communications and describes how Internet-connected toys pose ongoing serious safety threats to…
Category: Youth & Schools
Texas Tea Party Lawmaker Pushes for Schools to Out Their Students to Parents
Rachel Vorono Cote writes: Konni Burton, a Texas Tea Party state senator, has proposed a bill that would lawfully require school employees to out queer students to their parents, regardless of the students’ wishes. According to LOGO, Burton has just filed Senate Bill 242, which mandates disciplinary action against any school employee who does not disclose the sexual…
Department of Justice consulting on ‘age of digital consent’
Irish Legal News reports: The Department of Justice has launched a consultation on the statutory “age of digital consent” to be applied in Ireland as part of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Article 8 of the GDPR provides that, in the case of information society services offered directly to a child, parental consent is required where personal…
More than 1,000 UK schools found to be monitoring children with surveillance software
Matt Burgess reports: At least 1,000 schools across the UK are using forms of ‘surveillance’ technology to monitor the activity of pupils, a new report has claimed. Privacy advocates Big Brother Watch has published research claiming 72 per cent of secondary schools use ‘Classroom Management Software’ to keep an eye on pupils. The system, which can check…