Parents urged to check if Christmas gift can spy on their child

Parents are being alerted to the risks posed by smart toys which could be used by hackers to spy on their children this Christmas.

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Smart toys which can connect online or via mobile phones may not be innocent child’s play after all and parents are being urged to check before buying a ‘smart’ Christmas present to prevent hackers spying on their child.

To keep parents informed, the Mozilla Foundation has assessed 70 connected children’s toys and games and published its 'Privacy Not Included’ buyer’s guide, prior to this year’s annual ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ sales.

In recent years, some smart toys have the potential to enable hackers - located in close proximity to such a toy - to connect to it and talk to a child.

The Foundation, a non-profit organisatoin, has come up with a set of minimum security standards it believes all smart toys should adhere to.These include using encryption, automatic security updates, a requirement for strong passwords, a system to manage vulnerabilities and an accessible privacy policy.

The Mozilla Foundation’s website states: ‘Just because a device has a camera, microphone, or tracks location doesn’t mean it will spy on you. It simply means it could and you should be aware of that.

'Also, many connected devices are controlled by apps on your phone. The apps often ask to use the phone’s camera, microphone or location tracking. Keep an eye on that, as some of the permissions the apps ask for might surprise you’.

The Mozilla Foundation has also created a ‘Creep-O-Meter’, which is a users rating on each product, to let people give their opinion’ about a toy.

Mozilla Foundation's buyer's guide includes security standards and a Creep-O-Meter.

The Foundation added: ‘It’s important companies, and other consumers, see which products people think are safe, and which products people feel are a bit creepy’.

The UK has become the first country to issue a security code covering smart toys but toy makers do not have to comply with it. Some argue a voluntary code of practice for toy manufacturers is not enough and are calling for a mandatory code of practice.

Britain's Digital Minister Margot James said this week: “In all likelihood it will become statutory regulation but in the first instance I think it’s important to get it right.”

To view the ‘*Privacy Not Included’ buyer’s guide visit the Mozilla Foundation website.