Exclusive: Sen. Maggie Hassan presses AI toy company on child data privacy

A Democratic senator is demanding answers from an AI toy company, Bondu, after reports that it exposed children's private conversations. The senator, Maggie Hassan, is investigating how Bondu's portal, used by parents to monitor children's chats, was compromised. Researchers found the portal exposed tens of thousands of children's data, raising serious privacy concerns. Senator Hassan is seeking details about the security measures implemented by the company. She also wants to know how the breach happened, and whether Bondu monitors child chat transcripts. The senator expressed worry about the potential for identity theft and the exploitation of exposed data. Bondu states it uses safeguards like encryption but will need to respond to the inquiry by February 23rd. The letter suggests increased scrutiny of AI-enabled toys, and their data security practices.