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Barbie Doll is to play with and not for Child Porn
By siliconindia
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Wednesday, 08 December 2010, 18:27 IST
Los Angeles: The new trend of Barbie doll coming equipped with a tiny hidden video camera in her chest got FBI into action immediately. They have issued a "cyber crime alert" as they assume that the toy can be used for child porn, reports Dan Whitcomb,Reuters
The alert states that FBI investigation has revealed instances where an individual convicted of distributing child pornography had given a Barbie doll to a 6-year-old girl.Law enforcement is encouraged to be aware of unconventional avenues for possible production and possession of child pornography, such as the Barbie Video Girl.
CBI sprang into action immediately after knowing the capacity of the doll's camera to capture upto 30 minutes of footage and is easy to download on a computer. The video is titled as "Barbie Video Girl" and the FBI's Sacramento field office warns people that it could be a child pornography production method.
"There have been no reported incidents of this doll being used as anything other than as intended," Washington-based FBI spokeswoman Jenny Shearer said. "For clarification purposes, the alert's intent was to insure that law enforcement agencies were aware that the doll, like any other video-capable equipment, could contain evidence and to not disregard such an item during a search," she said.
Mattel is the manufacturer of the Barbie Video Girl Doll which for the first time was sold in July. There is an LCD screen at the Doll's back which shows the footage from the camera. As the Mattel websites states, the doll sells for $49.99 and has also been nominated for 2011 toy of the year. Reuters provided a written statement of Mattel which clearly explained Mattel's strong opinion that there have been no incidents of this doll being used as anything other than its intent. It has also been confirmed by Steve Dupre from the FBI Sacramento field office.
"Mattel products are designed with children and their best interests in mind. Many of Mattel's employees are parents themselves and we understand the importance of child safety - it is our number one priority," Mattel said.
The doll's camera does not have the capability to stream videos online.The FBI never intended for the alert to become public, but it was inadvertently sent to news media in Seattle.
The toy is the best example of the day by day advancing technology where the girls can record and play back clips. With the presence of LCD screen at the Barbie Doll's back, everything can be captured from a doll's eye-view where a camera lens hides prudently in the necklace.
