The German government isn't just banning some children's smartwatches — it’s telling people to "destroy" the gadgets already circulating around the country.
德国政府不只是禁止使用部分品牌的儿童智能手表,而是让人们“毁掉”全国范围内已经进入流通领域的智能手表。
On Friday, Germany's telecom regulator the Federal Network Agency announced that a number of these devices, designed for ages 5 to 12, can allow someone to remotely tap into the watch's microphone and clandestinely spy from remote locations (just like a wiretap). The regulator isn't just concerned about the potential of people spying on children — it's concerned the devices can be used to spy on anyone.
上周五,德国的电信业管理部门联邦网络局宣布,面向5岁到12岁儿童的数款智能手表能让他人通过远程利用手表传声器实现从远处暗中监听(就像窃听一样)。联邦网络局不仅担心他人可能利用智能手表监听小孩,它还担心这种手表可能被用来监听任何人。
利用智能手表进行监听的不只有父母,还有可能是一些心存歹念的人。由于缺乏加密技术,黑客可以轻而易举地攻击智能手表,轻松追踪到一个孩子。也就是说,黑客可以通过攻击手表后获知儿童的地理位置、向父母发送错误的地理信息。黑客可以在家长不知情的情况下入侵儿童手表,入侵手表后可导致儿童被黑客实时监控,并可以获取儿童的日常行动轨迹及周边的实时环境声音,还可以窃取手表里面的一些数据,包括家长的手机号码、身份信息,也可能听到家长与孩子的通话及家庭隐私信息等。
And in Germany, it's illegal to record private conversations without permission.
在德国,不经允许对私人会话进行录音是非法的。
"According to our investigations, parents were using the watches, for example, to listen in on teachers during class," said Federal Network Agency President Jochen Homann in a statement.
联邦网络局局长约亨•霍曼恩在一则声明中说:“根据我们的调查,有的父母会用智能手表来监听老师上课。”
Smartwatches that make phone calls, like the Apple Watch, are legal in Germany. The problem with many of the children's smartwatches, however, is that the devices have a classic snooping function, similar to a baby monitor, which can be easily activated just by using an app.
和苹果手表一样,能打电话的智能手表在德国是合法的。问题在于很多儿童的智能手表都有经典的监听功能,这种功能和婴儿监视器类似,只要使用APP就可以很容易激活。
"Via an app, parents can use such children's watches to listen unnoticed to the child's environment and they are to be regarded as an unauthorized transmitting system," said Homann.
霍曼恩表示:“通过APP,家长可以用孩子的手表在孩子周围人群没有察觉的情况下进行监听,如果是这样,手表将被视为未经授权的传输系统。”
The German regulator is so serious about destroying these devices, it's asking citizens to literally document the watches' destruction and to file evidence online. Once the watches are destroyed, the regulator will provide a "certificate of destruction," confirming the deed was done.
德国联邦网络局对于毁掉这种智能手表高度重视,公民必须提供损毁智能手表的凭证,并在网上提交证据。一旦智能手表被毁,联邦网络局会提供一份“毁坏证明”来证实该行为已经完成。
除了智能手表,智能娃娃、可穿戴设备等高科技产品也可能成为隐藏在身边的“间谍”。
This isn't the first time the Federal Network Agency told German citizens to destroy a consumer device. In February, the regulator prohibited the doll "My Friend Cayla" and labeled it as an "espionage device." Apparently, the dolls were fitted with radio transmission technology that could allow children to be spied on.
这不是德国联邦网络局第一次让德国公民毁掉一种消费设备。今年二月份,联邦网络局禁止使用玩具娃娃“我的朋友凯拉”并将其标记为“间谍设备”。显然,这个智能娃娃配备的无线传输技术会让孩子成为监视对象。
Beware consumer tech manufacturers: The German government won't just ban devices that facilitate spying, they'll demand the devices be smashed with hammer (or whatever means of destruction one prefers) — even if they're dolls.
所以,高科技产品的生产商要注意了:德国政府不仅会禁用那些给监视监听打开方便之门的设备,他们还会要求人们用锤子(或随便其他什么破坏工具)砸烂这些设备——就算是玩具娃娃也不会放过。