Children's smartwatch recalled in Europe over hacking fears

The European Commission has ordered the recall of a children's smartwatch over fears that the watches could reveal sensitive information such as location and personal details of users to hackers, the media reported.

The Commission issued a recall alert for the Safe Kid One watch, manufactured by German firm Enox, earlier this week, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday.

"A malicious user can send commands to any watch making it call another number of his choosing, can communicate with the child wearing the device or locate the child through GPS," the EC was quoted as saying in a statement.

"The data such as location history, phone numbers, serial number can easily be retrieved and changed," the recall notice said.

These smartwatches which have a built-in speaker and microphone are branded as devices that allow parents to download an app that can locate and track their children "almost to the meter" on a GPS map, The Telegraph report said.

The EC has directed public authorities across Europe to recall the product from end users, according to the BBC.

Enox founder Ole Anton Bieltvedt told the BBC that the watch had passed tests carried out by German regulators last year allowing it to be sold.

The version the Commission tested was no longer on sale, he added.

--IANS

gb/bg