Mattel cancels kids’ smart device

Mattel has abandoned plans to release a smart device for children after an outcry over privacy, said Rachel Rabkin Peachman in The New York Times. Aristotle was billed as a unique, voice-activated smart product that comforted, entertained, and taught kids from infancy to adolescence—soothing a crying baby, teaching the ABC’s, and helping kids with homework. But child advocacy groups and parents launched a campaign this spring to block Aristotle’s release, arguing that the product’s microphone and camera could monitor a child’s bedroom and collect data for marketing purposes. They also argued that “babies and older children shouldn’t be encouraged to form bonds with data-collecting devices.” A Mattel spokesman said that the decision not to bring Aristotle to market “was prompted by new leadership in the company.” on the West Coast and will be expanded next year. It involves goods sold on Amazon.com by third-party merchants; the delivery of those orders is typically handled by UPS and FedEx, but Amazon would now handle warehouse pickup and delivery. “The project underscores Amazon’s ambitions to expand its logistics operations and wean itself off the delivery networks of UPS and FedEx.”