“Pleeeease?!” Buying a quick gift or giving in to your child’s pleas for a new toy is quickly becoming a more serious decision. In the age where toys can happily entertain kids by talking to them, the few precious moments those toys buy parents may not be without risk. It’s possible for anyone within an internet-connected toy’s Bluetooth range to connect to the toy and receive their audio recordings, while being up to 100 feet away. For example, in December 2015, VTech allegedly exposed the personal information of 6.4 million children, which included their names, genders and birthdays. Stealing a child’s personal information is, at the very least, concerning. However internet-connected toys come with an additional danger—localized hacking. Just look at Cayla, an internet-connected fashion doll manufactured and sold by Genesis Toys. My Friend Cayla answers fact-based questions, plays games, reads stories, and even solves math problems. Genesis uses third-party voice-recognition software by U.S.- based company, and the doll requires an iOS/Android application to use the software. The doll’s mobile application researches and supplies Cayla with factual answers to questions, but it also prompts children to set their physical location, parents’ names and school name.
Articles Posted in Internet of Things (IoT)
News of Note for the Internet-Minded (2/17/17) – DeepMind, IoT and Graphic ToS Representation!
News of Note for the Internet-Minded – 6/22/16
News of Note for the Internet-Minded – 5/12/16
AI teaching assistants and the NBA’s interest in VR aside, this week’s roundup has plenty of darker-themed stories, including torture-proof passwords, live-streamed suicide and death while AR gaming.
News of Note for the Internet-Minded – 4/28/16
The Department of Commerce Wants to Get a Handle on the Internet of Things
It’s apparent by now that along with an expected economic impact of billions or even trillions of dollars, the Internet of Things (IoT) also brings with it a host of security, health and policy concerns. (See our earlier post on managing the cybersecurity risks of the medical IoT for just one facet of these concerns.)
The U.S. government has noticed, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the Department of Commerce, is now seeking comments to guide its own rulemaking on the IoT. In a recent client alert, colleagues Aimee Ghosh, Sheila Harvey, and Glenn Reynolds break down what exactly the NTIA will be looking for in terms of feedback.
Rehearing Denial Leaves ITC’s Jurisdiction Tethered to the Material World
Last week, the en banc Federal Circuit declined to rehear its November 10, 2015, decision in ClearCorrect v. ITC, 2014-1527, leaving the U.S. International Trade Commission’s (ITC) Section 337 jurisdiction to “material things” that infringe U.S. intellectual property rights. This denial and the 2015 Federal Circuit decision have wide implications for a variety of industry sectors, especially those involved with the Internet of Things or any company that may transfer digital assets across the U.S. border. Regarding the case, this denial restricts the ITC from prohibiting ClearCorrect’s importation of digital files used to manufacture teeth aligners that allegedly infringed complainant Align Technology’s patents. (For more details on the November 10, 2015 decision, see our post, “Living in a Nonmaterial World: Determining IP Rights for Digital Data.”)
News of Note for the Internet-Minded – 3/18/16
Intel and Sony give us an idea of the future of virtual reality; Google goes shopping in the cloud; the FBI warns consumers about car hacking; the Internet of Thing’s language problem; and more …
News of Note for the Internet-Minded – 3/2/16
GE’s tech chief discusses gamification and cars; Apple and the FBI’s faceoff continues; Microsoft will give developers a new toy to play with; man’s best friend takes a disliking to man’s made friend; and more …
The Case of the Hacked Hospital: When a Cyber Breach Becomes a Health Crisis
Recently, we noted vulnerability issues from use of the Internet of Things and how that has come to impact the health industry. Recent events continue to highlight this development. Since the start of the year, there have been cyber attacks targeting hospitals. Perhaps recognizing the extensive disruption and potential privacy concerns to patients, the hackers have targeted these institutions to either make a point or seek large sums in exchange for returning access to the hospital data. In January, Hurley Medical Center, based in Flint, Mich., was attacked, although a spokesperson stated that policies and protocols were followed and patient care was not compromised. The hacktivist group Anonymous released a video with the hashtag #OpFlint prior to the cyber attack and suggests responsibility for the breach to make a point regarding the city’s water crisis, although no confirmation has been made.