Your secrets aren’t safe with this cute robot toy — they’re on Chinese servers ready to be hacked
There's a new digital pet in town - a cute little marshmallow of a robot that can change its cartoony expressions to match your mood.
Eiliko. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
There's a new digital pet in town - a cute little marshmallow of a robot that can change its cartoony expressions to match your mood. But if you or your kids talk to "Eiliko" over Wi-Fi, it'll phone home to China. Its AI companion can store literally everything you tell it on Chinese servers, where hackers can easily gain access or even hijack its personality. And the company that made it, Energize Lab, doesn't seem to care.
I bought an Eiliko from Amazon on August 29th. During a 10-minute conversation on August 30th, I asked the little bot: "Do you ever tell anybody else what I'm saying?"
"Your secrets are safe with me," it replied.
With …
Related articles
Amazon’s always-listening Bee wearable can now help you buy stuff
Last year, Amazon bought Bee, a relatively unknown startup with a $50 always-listening AI wearable that summarized every conversation you had.
Ledger’s new hardware wallet is an Android phone without the phone
Ledger has announced its latest crypto-centric hardware effort, the Android-based Atom, a device that resembles a phone but is instead designed to be used alongside one.
Big Walk skipped Xbox to boycott Microsoft’s involvement with Israel
Big Walk's co-op multiplayer walking adventure has proved popular since launching in August, but Xbox players have been excluded from the fun - and now the game's creators have explained why.
Video: Inside Boston Dynamics’ factory where an Atlas humanoid robot gets made each day
Boston Dynamics released a video offering a closer look at the prototype operations team that...
US lab’s new tool targets rare-earths’ shortages, can help choose resilient motor technologies
A major laboratory in the United States has developed a new tool, which can guide...
Mayhem 10 drones get upgraded to connect satellite, cellular and radio simultaneously
AeroVironment is preparing to strengthen communications on its Mayhem 10 autonomous military drone system with...