Which controversy involved Bluetooth-enabled consumer toys and data storage on manufacturer servers shared with defense industries?

• A. Big Data
• B. My Friend Cayla Doll Controversy
• C. Data mining
• D. Agency

Answer: (B)

Connected devices that collect and transmit data raise ethical questions about privacy, consent, and security. The My Friend Cayla doll controversy centers on a Bluetooth-enabled toy that connected to an app and sent voice data to cloud servers for processing. Because conversations and interactions were stored on manufacturer servers, there were concerns about who could access that data and how it might be used, including reports that data storage and handling could involve third parties beyond the toy’s function, such as contractors in defense-related contexts. This case illustrates the real risks of data flowing from a child’s toy to external servers, the need for strong privacy protections, and clear limits on data sharing and retention.

Big Data describes the broad practice of analyzing very large datasets, not a specific privacy incident. Data mining is about extracting patterns from data, again not tied to a particular controversy about a toy. Agency, in this context, doesn’t fit the issue being asked.