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What's interesting about this, is Cayla is just a bluetooth speaker. The accompanying Android app is what people have been modifying, not remotely but locally.

What's interesting about this, is Cayla is just a bluetooth speaker. The accompanying Android app is what people have been modifying, not remotely but locally. I think the entire thing has been blown out of proportion. Give anyone physical access to your device and they can do a lot worse than make a bluetooth speaker say some offensive words...

_ph_ 10y ago
The doll is not illegal because it can be hacked, it is illegal because it is considered a clandestine monitoring device. And the possession of those is illegal.
yorwba 10y ago
If it can answer questions, then there must be a mic somewhere. And if it's always on and its data can be sniffed, the doll effectively becomes a bug, open to everyone who wants to listen.
- alexcroox 10y ago
  AFAIK there is no mic in the doll, you cannot get responses from the internet without the smart device app, you technically talk into your phone/tablet, not the doll
  - tauchunfall 10y ago
    In the text on Netzpolitik linked in the BBC article it says, the doll has a microphone. >Jedes bluetoothfähige Gerät in Reichweite von etwa zehn Metern kann eine Verbindung zu ihr [der Puppe] aufbauen und Lautsprecher und Mikrofon nutzen. In einem Versuch hatte ich auch über mehrere Wände hindurch auf die Puppe Zugriff. Google Translate: Each bluetooth capable device within a range of about ten meters can connect to it [the doll] and use speakers and microphone. In an attempt I had access to the doll over several walls.
    - phreeza 10y ago
      Off topic: Google translate is getting really good.
  - soylentcola 10y ago
    Sounds more like the doll is akin to a Bluetooth headset. It's got a mic, a speaker, and a BT transmitter which provides i/o to a mobile application running on a smartphone or tablet (much the way a Bluetooth headset would operate with a phone). The mobile application does any local processing and handles queries to remote servers and such.

_ph_ 10y ago

The doll is not illegal because it can be hacked, it is illegal because it is considered a clandestine monitoring device. And the possession of those is illegal.

yorwba 10y ago

If it can answer questions, then there must be a mic somewhere. And if it's always on and its data can be sniffed, the doll effectively becomes a bug, open to everyone who wants to listen.

alexcroox 10y ago
AFAIK there is no mic in the doll, you cannot get responses from the internet without the smart device app, you technically talk into your phone/tablet, not the doll
- tauchunfall 10y ago
  In the text on Netzpolitik linked in the BBC article it says, the doll has a microphone. >Jedes bluetoothfähige Gerät in Reichweite von etwa zehn Metern kann eine Verbindung zu ihr [der Puppe] aufbauen und Lautsprecher und Mikrofon nutzen. In einem Versuch hatte ich auch über mehrere Wände hindurch auf die Puppe Zugriff. Google Translate: Each bluetooth capable device within a range of about ten meters can connect to it [the doll] and use speakers and microphone. In an attempt I had access to the doll over several walls.
  - phreeza 10y ago
    Off topic: Google translate is getting really good.
- soylentcola 10y ago
  Sounds more like the doll is akin to a Bluetooth headset. It's got a mic, a speaker, and a BT transmitter which provides i/o to a mobile application running on a smartphone or tablet (much the way a Bluetooth headset would operate with a phone). The mobile application does any local processing and handles queries to remote servers and such.