Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

The European Commission has issued an EU-wide recall of the Safe-KID-One children’s smartwatch marketed by ENOX Group over concerns that the device leaves data such as location history, phone and serial numbers vulnerable to hacking and alteration. The watch is equipped with GPS, a microphone and speaker, and has a companion app that grants parents oversight of the child wearer. According to a February 1, 2019 alert posted on the EU's recall and notification index for nonfood products, flaws in the product could permit malicious users to send commands to any Safe-KID-One watch, making it call any other number, and to communicate with the child wearing the device or locate the child through GPS. The European Commission concluded that, as a result, the device does not comply with the 1994 Radio Equipment Directive. This recall follows Germany’s November 2017 ban on smartwatches for children.