The Norwegian Consumer Council and Mnemonic, a security company, revealed that several brands of smartwatches made for children are easily hackable. In response to these findings, U.S. privacy groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the products' makers.
These watches are equipped with GPS capabilities that are supposed to let parents keep track of their children's locations. The Norwegian Consumer Council and Mnemonic tested the security of four of these watches; three had serious flaws. Mnemonic said in its announcement that the vulnerabilities are "not technically difficult to exploit, and in two cases, allow a third party to covertly take control over the watch."
Taking over these watches, or merely peeking at the location data they gather, could endanger children. That's the exact opposite of what these devices are supposed to do. Quoth the Norwegian Consumer Council in its own press release on the findings:
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