The Internet of Things has a child privacy problem

Parent bloggers have touted the device's family-friendly uses when it comes to child care and household tasks. Many of these "mommy blog" posts are sponsored by Amazon in an ad campaign explicitly geared toward families with young children. But what about the realities of bringing an "always on" device that records children's voices into the privacy of one's home? A new investigation explores potential violations of childhood privacy laws by devices such as Amazon Echo.

Companies with virtual assistants, such as Amazon, could be fined millions of dollars for the collection of children's data without explicit parental consent. Specifically, these AI devices store audio files of children's voice commands, but don't provide any information on how long these files are stored or how they are being used. "Just telling parents to take effective responsibility for the child isn't sufficient," said Jeffrey Chester, a lawyer who helped to craft the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which aims to protect the digital privacy of children under the age of 13. "Under COPPA, they need to know what's being collected, how it will be used, they need to be provided with real informed consent to begin with." Chester also expressed concern with marketing tactics that aim to appeal to children. He cites an ad for Apple's Siri that shows Cookie Monster using the virtual assistant to help him bake cookies, as well as the Amazon ad that features young children asking Echo for new knock-knock jokes. Ads like these demonstrate an explicit desire to convert young children to customers, making an even stronger case that these companies are violating COPPA.