A concurring statement from FTC Acting Chairwoman Maureen K. Ohlhausen emphasized that the settlement broke new ground in its allegation that “individualized television viewing activity falls within the definition of sensitive information” that merits protection by the FTC. This finger in the dike would not hold back the tidal wave of similar incursions as the prediction imperative cracks the whip to drive the hunt for unexplored pieces of talk from daily life. Rendition takes command of even the most benign supply sources, such as toys, which have now become “toys that spy.” A new breed of interactive dolls and toy robots, including a girl doll called “My Friend Cayla,” turn out to be supply hubs for underage behavioral surplus, subjecting young children and their parents’ smartphones “to ongoing surveillance… without any meaningful data protection standards.”

Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Cap…, loc. 827