Electronic toys for children have existed since the 1950s. However, new toys are causing privacy concerns for parents as well as politicians. A new device called Aristotle was created to help children by learning their behavior and providing soothing responses. But after many parents expressed concern about the amount of information the toy would be collecting, the manufacturer stopped production. Listen to learn more about this invention and then debate: Should children play with electronic toys that collect data?
Story Length: 3:01
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April 4, 2016
4:14
After the San Bernardino terrorist attack, the FBI took Apple to court to try and require them to unlock the iPhone of the suspected shooter. Apple refused, but then the FBI figured out how to get past the phone’s security on its own to look for evidence. After that, more cases of locked phones possibly containing evidence in criminal cases are showing up around the country. The FBI recently agreed to help prosecutors in Arkansas hack into to a phone that is believed to have information in a murder case. Listen to the possible privacy repercussions of the government hiring people to unlock phones and devices.
Read MoreJune 7, 2015
3:52
The provision of the Patriot Act that allowed the government to conduct massive phone surveillance has expired. The National Security Agency can no longer conduct bulk surveillance. In its place, Congress passed the USA Freedom Act, which allows for limited surveillance. Politicians in both the Democratic and Republican parties felt that this phone surveillance needed limits but there was a showdown over how far the changes should go. Listen to learn how this standoff came to an end and changed the way the government conducts surveillance.
Read MoreMay 21, 2015
3:46
The provision of the U.S. Patriot Act that authorized the mass collection of phone records in the United States and abroad is set to expire at the end of this month. The National Security Agency has been collecting data from personal phone calls in an effort to prevent another terrorist attack. The U.S. House of Representatives has taken action and passed a bill that strictly narrows the scope of this surveillance. But some members of the U.S. Senate want to leave the Patriot Act as it and renew it. Listen to learn more about this debate and the impact it will have on how government surveillance is used to fight terrorism.
Read MoreNovember 15, 2013
2:11
After Edward Snowden exposed the U.S government's spying activities, it is impossible to know what gets monitored and what doesn't. However, video game companies aren't hiding as we learned in this story posted last week. Video game companies are tracking players' every action to increase the addiction - so why aren't people as outraged at video game companies as they are at the government? Learn more about what third grade students think after hearing about the science behind video game addiction by listening to this story.
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