Life imitates filk

[Gary McGath]

Or perhaps the subject line should be "Just because you're paranoid..."
Or maybe "Mutter, die Puppen, sie spielen mit mir!"

In "The Paranoia Song," I wrote:

The next time Santa’s on his way
His toys will all be bugged, thanks to the NSA ...

http://www.mcgath.com/songs/ParanoiaSong.pdf

Now NPR is reporting on a doll which really is bugged and might be
giving information to the NSA under a false promise of confidentiality.

http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/12/20/506208146/this-doll-may-be-recording-what-children-say-privacy-groups-charge

Claire Gartland, director of the Consumer Privacy Project at the
Electronic Privacy Information Center, says the doll can send back what
it hears to the manufacturer:

The problem with Cayla, Gartland says, is that everything a child
tells the doll can be recorded, in the guise of having an
interactive conversation.

Ask her, say, "Can I tell you a secret?" And the doll responds:
"Sure go ahead; be very quiet, though. I promise not to tell anyone;
it's just between you and me because we are friends."

But Gartland says anything that's said to Cayla isn't really secret
at all. If the doll is connected to a smartphone — as it's designed
to be — that information can be sent to the toy's makers. ...

Gartland says the conversations that Cayla records are sent to servers
at a company called Genesis, which makes the doll, and to another
company called Nuance, which makes voice-recognition software for
this any many other products. Nuance also has a database used by
law enforcement and military and intelligence agencies that matches
voiceprints.
--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com