Mattel’s ‘Amazon Echo for kids’ Aristotle could end up spying on YOUR child, critics fear
AN ARTIFICIALLY intelligent baby monitor has got parents spooked after it emerged that it will make recordings of their children as they grow up.
Mattels' Aristotle is tipped to be the "Amazon Echo for kids" but sparked serious privacy concerns during a discussion on US' prime time show Good Morning America on Thursday.
It lets parents monitor kids from their phone through a super secure connection and can play games with tots when they are in their bed.
But to become "smarter" the monitor has to record everything it hears – including questions from children – and send it back to the developers who will use it to optimise how Aristotle works.
That's what has got parent's spooked.
It's feared hackers will try to take over the devices and spy on kids.
Mattel said: "Keeping families safe and their data private is of utmost importance to Mattel and we have invested much of our time and research into this aspect of Aristotle.
"It was developed by Mattel’s new nabi unit, the leader in technology for kids and families and the company that pioneered online protection for kids initially through its award winning tablet line."
Rival Amazon Echo is in the middle of a court case that could finally reveal whether the tech giant is spying on millions from their homes.
The tech giant has been asked to hand over recordings an Echo made inside the home of James Andrew Bates, who is accused of strangling a man to death in a hot tub.
Cops hope the Echo will have stored vital information which will allow them to build a case against Bates.
But Amazon initially refused to hand over the data.
Related stories
Similarly to Mattel's Aristotle, the Echo is a voice-activated gadget which records owners' spoken commands and then sends them back to a central server to be interpreted.
It requires a constant internet connection, because the process of sending voice recordings back to base is what allows it to understand and obey people's commands.
A video emerged last week of Amazon Echo spouting crude porno passages when a tot asked it a question.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368