In-brief: Federal data protection authorities from 29 countries including the U.S. and Canada have turned their collective attention to The Internet of Things in an annual “privacy sweep” that is looking at connected devices including personal health products.
In-brief: research by the security firm Rapid7 has uncovered security flaws in new, interactive “smart toys” by Fisher Price and other toy makers that could divulge personal information related to children and their families. Editor’s note: this story was updated to include comments from Mark Stanislav of Rapid7. PFR Feb 2, 2016.
In-brief: More than 50 million connected devices will be purchased this holiday season, according to the Online Trust Alliance. But consumers should be wary of privacy and security issues affecting Internet-connected products, the group said.
In-brief: The hack of VTech, a maker of technology products for children, has exposed sensitive data on hundreds of thousands of children, the company acknowledged this week. Also exposed: the toy industry’s growing and unregulated appetite for information on the children who play with their toys.
In-brief: Alphabet’s Nest Cam continues to run even after users have turned it “off,” the company acknowledged on Tuesday, raising questions about transparency and the potential for privacy abuses using the popular home surveillance device.
