Privacy Risks of Children's Smart Watches
- Privacy
Overview
Children's smart watches are wearable devices designed for kids, offering various functions such as tracking, calling, social interaction, and learning. They have gained popularity among parents and children alike. However, recent research has revealed serious security vulnerabilities in some children's smart watches, potentially exploited by hackers or manufacturers to steal children's personal information or even monitor and manipulate them. These espionage-enabled smart watches underscore the privacy risks associated with children's devices and have raised concerns about the quality and regulation of such products.
Contents
What are the Privacy Risks of Children's Smart Watches?
How to Ensure Secure Use of Children's Smart Watches?
What are the Privacy Risks of Children's Smart Watches?
According to a research report by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) and security company Mnemonic, a certain European children's smart watch has an undisclosed backdoor. This backdoor allows unauthorized individuals to remotely take photos, listen to calls, and track the device's location. Researchers suggest that this backdoor is intentionally designed rather than a vulnerability, and multiple parties may have access to it.
In addition to this specific watch, other children's smart watches also pose privacy risks, mainly in the following aspects:
① Inadequate Permission Management
Some devices utilize outdated or insecure operating systems, granting applications access to sensitive permissions like location, contacts, microphone, and camera without proper user authorization. This enables easy access to children's location, facial images, and recordings.
② Insufficient Data Encryption
Certain smart watches lack proper encryption for information associated with parents' smartphones, allowing hackers to intercept or manipulate data through man-in-the-middle attacks or network sniffing, potentially leading to personal privacy breaches or fraud.
③ Weak Content Filtering
Some devices fail to adequately filter or regulate downloadable apps or websites, exposing children to inappropriate content like pornography, violence, and gambling, negatively impacting their mental and emotional well-being.
④ Unreasonable Consumer Inducement
Certain smart watches lack restrictions or alerts for features like password-free payments or virtual currencies, allowing children to spend money recklessly on shopping, platform VIP services, game skins, etc., significantly jeopardizing family finances.
How to Ensure Secure Use of Children's Smart Watches?
Given the privacy risks associated with children's smart watches, both parents and manufacturers should take measures to ensure their secure use. These measures include the following:
① Choose Reputable Brands and Qualified Products
When purchasing children's smart watches, parents should opt for reputable brands with quality assurances, avoiding knockoffs or unverified products. Additionally, they should verify whether the product holds relevant quality certifications and safety marks, such as CE, FCC, RoHS, and complies with applicable national or regional standards and regulations, such as the EU's GDPR or the US's COPPA.
② Set Appropriate Permissions and Functions
Parents should configure reasonable permissions and functionalities based on their child's age and needs. For instance, they can disable or restrict unnecessary or unsuitable applications, websites, payment functions, and implement safety reminders and anti-addiction measures. Regular updates and maintenance should be conducted to promptly address potential vulnerabilities and issues.
③ Use Professional VPN Services
As children's smart watches are often controlled through parental devices, utilizing a VPN to protect your smartphone prevents third parties from accessing information about how you use these smart devices. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, hides the user's real IP address and encrypts their network traffic, preventing data theft or tracking. Using a reputable VPN service effectively safeguards the network security and privacy of children's smart watches.
Why Choose MetroVPN?
MetroVPN is a high-quality VPN service provider that offers the following advantages for children's smart watch users:
① Easy to Use
MetroVPN offers one-click connection without requiring registration or login, providing secure and reliable network access for users' devices.
② Global Servers
With over 6500+ servers in multiple countries and regions, MetroVPN allows users to connect to any location at any time.
③ Strict No-Logs Policy
MetroVPN does not record or store users' browsing data, ensuring complete privacy for online activities.
④ Encrypts Network Activity
MetroVPN ensures that all internet traffic is encrypted, providing a secure and private connection while browsing the web.
⑤ 24/7 Customer Support
MetroVPN offers round-the-clock customer support, ensuring assistance is available whenever needed.
