Your secrets aren’t safe with this cute robot toy — they’re on Chinese servers ready to be hacked
A security researcher discovered that the 'Eiliko' robot toy, marketed to children, transmits private conversations to insecure Chinese servers. The data is easily accessible, allowing unauthorized individuals to listen to millions of conversations from thousands of devices worldwide.
Why it matters
This raises significant privacy and safety concerns regarding the lack of security standards in internet-connected toys marketed to children.
There’s a new digital pet in town — a cute little marshmallow of a robot that can change its cartoony expressions to match your mood. But if you or your kids talk to “Eiliko” over Wi-Fi, it’ll phone home to China. Its AI companion can store literally everything you tell it on Chinese servers, where hackers can easily gain access or even hijack its personality. And the company that made it, Energize Lab, doesn’t seem to care.
I bought an Eiliko from Amazon on August 29th. During a 10-minute conversation on August 30th, I asked the little bot: “Do you ever tell anybody else what I’m saying?”
“Your secrets are safe with me,” it replied.
Within minutes, a man on the other side of the planet had a complete transcript of everything I’d told the toy.
[Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/eiliko-verge-sean-038.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in