If your daughter has a My Friend Cayla doll, you may want to throw it in the trash — immediately. The doll, an actual smart device, has the ability to gather information about your child, your family, your home — and store it.

Even worse, a stranger can potentially hack into the doll and begin talking to children. The dangers are so real that the doll has been banned in Germany.

An insecure Bluetooth connection embedded in My Friend Cayla could allow anyone to eavesdrop on children and their dolls, creating a risk of predatory danger.

My Friend Cayla, created by the U.K.’s Vivid Toy group and sold for $59, can answer questions, play games, and know “hundreds of things,” according to a website commercial. But because she’s interactive, she collects data, too — and that data is sent to a third party, Nuance, which then stores it. Nuance also has contracts with the U.S. military and law enforcement, according to Kim Horcher, host of the online YouTube show, “Nerd Alert.”

An international coalition of consumer watchdogs last December said Nuance Communications is violating the privacy rights of children who play with these toys, The Boston Globe reported at the time. The doll and an additional toy both use the Burlington, Massachusetts, company’s software to answer questions posed by children.

“Nuance takes data privacy seriously,” Richard Mack, vice president of communications, wrote in a blog post on the company’s website. “Upon learning of the consumer advocacy groups’ concerns through media, we validated that we have adhered to our policy with respect to the voice data collected through the toys referred to in the complaint. We have made and will continue to make data privacy a priority.”

[lz_ndn video=32017630]

The downloadable app collects family data, too.  “The Cayla app includes a section titled, ‘Child’s Information,’ which prompts kids to volunteer information like their names, parents’ names, where they live, go to school, and favorite TV shows, foods and princesses,” Nerd Alert reported.

LifeZette reached out to Richard Mack for comment, but as of publication time had not heard back.

An insecure Bluetooth connection embedded in the My Friend Cayla doll could allow anyone to eavesdrop on children and their dolls — creating a risk of predatory danger. And not only can your child talk to Cayla — a hacker could talk back.

The risk of smart toy hackings has been an issue since January 2015, and experts warn the software has not been fixed, reported The Globe.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Related: Your Vacation Photos: A New Year’s Gift to Criminals

The U.K.’s Vivid Toy group claims its doll is safe. And yet the company and the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) state succinctly that keeping children safe with the toy is up to parents. The TRA told BBC, “We would always expect parents to supervise their children at least intermittently.”

My Friend Cayla appears to have yet another agenda: hawking Disney. Researchers found the doll is pre-programmed with phrases and recommendations that promote Disney products, as CBS News. Cayla tells children that her favorite song is “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen,” that she wants to go to Epcot at Disneyworld (in Florida), and that she enjoys visiting Disneyland (in California).

Two years ago, Mattel introduced Hello Barbie, which was a similarly styled interactive version of classic Barbie.
While Hello Barbie is still on the market, it was not a success. It was actually named Worst Toy of 2015 by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

Related: Social Media Zaps Our Empathy

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) said it believes these toys should be pulled from stores. “Immediately, we’d like to see the FTC require them to recall the dolls and stop further sales until they address the concerns we raise,” Claire Gartland, director of the Consumer Privacy Project at EPIC, told CBS.

Every day, Americans are being presented with complicated issues of privacy given today’s smart tech. Devices like Amazon’s Echo and Google Home, while great for playing music, setting reminders, and learning new things, are listening to you — and your children. Now parents can add innocent-looking dolls to that list.