Mattel's AI-Enabled Baby Monitors 'Raise Serious Privacy Concerns,' Say Barton, Markey

Mattel's new artificial intelligence-enabled baby monitor raised privacy issues from Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in a Thursday letter to CEO Margaret Georgiadis. The device, called Aristotle, "appears capable of recording and transmitting personal and sensitive information about a child's development back to" the company, said a Friday news release. The product -- which can track feeding and sleeping patterns -- "has the potential to raise serious privacy concerns" because it can create an "in-depth profile of children and their family," said the lawmakers. They asked Mattel to provide information such as: Will Aristotle use facial recognition software or take videos and photos? Will audio files be recorded and saved and stored on Mattel's servers? Will the company encrypt data it collects and will it delete personally identifiable information? Does it plan to share or sell the data? Does Aristotle have a privacy policy and is it compliant with the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act? The letter seeks responses by Oct. 18. The company didn't comment.