Children's smart watches are 'hackable'

Some brands of smart watches designed for children suffer from security flaws that make them easy prey for hackers, says a Norwegian human rights organization.

The Norwegian Consumer Council, a consumer advocacy organisation, has tested watches for various brands, including Geter and GPS for children.

The organization said that hackers can track, eavesdrop and even contact child wearers.

Manufacturers listed in the WHO warning confirm that they have already resolved security issues or are currently working on resolving them.

In response to the organization's warning, the British retail chain "John Lewis" has stopped selling one of these brands.

The watches tested are primarily used as smartphones, allowing parents to communicate with their children and locate their whereabouts.

Some experimental signs contain an SOS feature to allow the child to communicate instantly with their parents.

Smartwatches usually sell for around $100.

The Norwegian Consumer Council has expressed concern that the Getter and GPS smart watches for children transmit and store data without encryption.

This allows strangers, through the use of simple hacking techniques, to track children wherever they go or to show the child in a completely different place from where they really are.

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The consumer rights organization criticized the smartwatches, which it described as "lousy", and said that parents would be "shocked" if they knew about these risks.

"Safety and security must be a top priority," said council spokesman Alex Neal. "If it is not guaranteed, these products cannot be sold."

UK retailer John Lewis has a stock of Geter watches, although it is unclear whether the brand suffers from the security flaws the organization has reported.

The company said it would stop selling the product as a "precautionary measure" pending "further recommendations and reassurances from the supplier."

Children's GPS said it had fixed security flaws in the new watches, while working to roll out updates for products currently in consumers' hands.

Geter's British distributor said it had moved its data to a new encrypted server and was designing a new, more secure app for consumers.

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