In a set of slightly creepy developments, Disney has launched a gadget (Circle With Disney) that monitors and limits children’s internet access. The Circle box can set limits to online habits by hooking up to a Wi-Fi router. The idea for Circle surfaced from a failed crowd funding campaign, but Disney caught word of the device and immediately fused with Circle Media to bring the device to the mass market.
Circle With Disney uses technology that is slightly jarring, most often seen in man-in-the-middle cyber attacks. It basically acts as border control as to what crosses from a device to the network and back, and it is free to block or allow the exchanges according to its presets. Though none of the data is stored anywhere, it’s still a daunting idea, even for the sake of Parental Controls.
Circle is controlled through an app called Circle Home, where parents can set their device to work how they want. It can even set on and off times for the router to prevent late night gaming or chatting, and it can even cut off internet connection entirely to one, some or all devices in the house.
Circle With Disney intends to bring the app for Android by 2016, so Android users can also bring this creepy parental control to their households.
