'Smart dolls' are being investigated to see if they breach EU data protection safeguards | Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images German parents told to destroy child’s doll over spying fears The doll has voice-recognition and internet search abilities that could be hacked, agency warned.

My Friend Cayla might be spying on you.

That's what the Federal Network Agency, a telecoms regulatory body, told German parents Friday. It said the popular doll has built-in technology that can reveal personal data, the Guardian reported.

The FNA asked parents to destroy or disable the dolls.

Earlier this week, the FNA judged the doll to be an "illegal espionage apparatus," making it illegal to sell them.

Cayla, which is manufactured by the U.S. company Genesis Toys, allows children to access the internet via speech recognition software, and to control the toy via an app. The doll can answer questions children ask it.

Vulnerabilities in the app were first revealed in 2015, after which the Vivid Toy group, which distributes My Friend Cayla, said that examples of hacking were isolated.

Věra Jourová, the European commissioner for consumers, told the BBC, "I'm worried about the impact of connected dolls on children's privacy and safety."

The Commission is investigating whether such smart dolls breach EU data protection safeguards.