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The Eiliko AI companion robot should be treated as a serious privacy and security risk until Energize Lab clearly demonstrates that its data is protected. An investigation published by The Verge on October 15, 2026, found that the service used by the Wi-Fi-connected toy stored searchable conversations, user profiles, email addresses, IP addresses, photos and audio on Chinese-hosted infrastructure that security researcher Sammy Azdoufal found insufficiently protected.
The reported exposure was not limited to old records. Azdoufal said he could access data from about 68,000 active toys, including more than 31,000 profiles belonging to children in the United States, and 13 million conversations. He also demonstrated that the robot’s language-model behavior could be altered remotely. Those figures are reported findings from the investigation, not an independently audited census, but they are more than enough reason to disconnect an Eiliko and review any account connected to it.
What Eiliko is and why the finding matters
Eiliko is an AI companion robot manufactured by Energize Lab. It listens and responds over Wi-Fi, so conversations that appear to happen locally in a child’s room are sent to the company’s online service for processing. Sean Hollister of The Verge summarized the design plainly: “But if you or your kids talk to ‘Eiliko’ over Wi-Fi, it’ll phone home to China.”
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A Chinese-hosted service is not automatically unsafe, and the investigation does not establish state surveillance. The problem described is inadequate access control around sensitive information and the possibility of remote manipulation of the toy’s behavior. A connected children’s device needs strong authentication, carefully limited databases, encrypted transport and storage, signed software updates, prompt vulnerability fixes and a transparent response when researchers report a flaw.
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What the investigation says was exposed
| Reported material | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Searchable full-text conversations | Speech intended for the toy could be read as text and searched by someone who reached the exposed system. |
| User profiles and inferred traits | Profiles can reveal habits, interests and other conclusions about a child or family beyond the words of a single conversation. |
| Email addresses and IP addresses | These identifiers can help connect a toy account to a household and support phishing, tracking or account attacks. |
| Photos and audio | Images and recordings create a much more intimate record than ordinary product telemetry. |
| Child-related profiles | The investigation reported more than 31,000 profiles belonging to children in the United States. |
The reported scale was approximately 13 million conversations and an active worldwide fleet of about 68,000 toys. Because those numbers came from the researcher’s access and the reporting around it, they should be read as reported counts rather than a formal measurement of every Eiliko account.
Can someone hack an Eiliko?
The investigation describes more than passive data exposure. Azdoufal reportedly found that he could remotely alter the robot’s language-model behavior. That means a weakness in the service could affect what the toy says, not merely reveal what it previously heard. The report does not say that every owner was individually targeted or that a particular attacker abused the system; it demonstrates that the control path existed.
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This is the same category of risk highlighted in independent connected-toy security work. Kaspersky has reported that vulnerabilities in a popular children’s robot allowed malicious actors to make video calls to it, steal a parental account and modify firmware. That finding explains why a toy’s account controls, update mechanism and vendor response are as important as its microphone or camera.
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Where does Eiliko send conversations?
Energize Lab’s privacy policy, as quoted by The Verge, says: “recordings are encrypted and transmitted to our service partners (e.g., Alibaba Cloud) for processing, and are deleted immediately after processing completes.” The investigation’s reported access to searchable conversations and related profile data conflicts with the reassurance a reader might take from “deleted immediately.” The policy statement does not, by itself, explain how long derived transcripts, profiles, logs, backups or moderation data remain available, nor who can query them.
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For parents, the practical conclusion is that an Eiliko conversation should be treated as cloud data, not as a private exchange confined to the toy. Do not let a child share names, school details, addresses, passwords, medical information or family schedules with it.
What Energize Lab has said
The Verge contacted multiple Energize Lab addresses. The article received no substantive technical explanation. Overseas sales manager Lana Lv wrote: “I have forwarded your massges [sic] to the technical team, if possible they will contact your team.” The company did not follow up, according to the report.
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The Verge’s October 15, 2026 report does not document a recall, government enforcement action or a confirmed remediation program. Owners should therefore avoid assuming that a patch, database lockdown or deletion request has resolved the issue unless Energize Lab provides verifiable, specific information.
What to do if an Eiliko is already connected
- Disconnect it from Wi-Fi. Use the app’s account or device controls to take it offline, then remove its network access from the router. If the router supports device lists, block the robot’s hardware entry.
- Stop using the microphone and camera. Power the robot down when it is not needed. If a camera is present, cover it physically; do not rely only on an app indicator.
- Change the parental-account password. Create a unique password that is not used elsewhere. Change it from a trusted device and enable multifactor authentication if the service offers it.
- Review account data. Look for linked children, profile details, uploaded photos, recordings and connected devices. Delete what the controls allow, and record the date of any request.
- Check for reused credentials. If the Eiliko password was used on email, shopping or social accounts, change those passwords too and review sign-in alerts.
- Update your home network and family devices. Install current operating-system and router updates, use a separate guest or Internet-of-things network where possible, and keep reputable security protection enabled.
- Ask the manufacturer for specifics. Request confirmation of whether your account and recordings were affected, what data was exposed, the retention period for transcripts and profiles, whether firmware updates are signed, and how vulnerabilities are reported.
How to evaluate any connected toy before buying
- Physical controls: Can the microphone or camera be disabled with a real switch or cover, rather than only through software?
- Cloud dependence: Does the toy provide useful offline functions, or does every interaction require a remote service?
- Data lifecycle: Does the privacy notice clearly state encryption, retention, deletion, backups and the use of service partners?
- Account security: Are strong passwords, multifactor authentication, session controls and parental-account recovery available?
- Update integrity: Are firmware updates signed and verified so an attacker cannot install altered software?
- Independent scrutiny: Has the product undergone independent security testing, and does the maker publish a vulnerability-disclosure process and patch history?
- Transparency: Does the manufacturer provide a prompt, technically specific response when researchers report a problem?
Is Eiliko safe for children?
Based on the reported exposure and the absence of a substantive technical response, families should not treat Eiliko as safe for private conversations or unsupervised use. Disconnect an existing unit, secure any reused account credentials and avoid buying or reconnecting one until Energize Lab explains what was exposed and shows that access controls, retention and remote-control paths have been fixed. The investigation does not prove that every toy was compromised, but it does show that sensitive child-related data and control functions were reportedly reachable at significant scale.
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