Germany has classified a doll with a built-in microphone as an illegal spy device. People who own them are required to disable the microphone.

Does this seem like an overreaction to you? I think action is required so as to teach people how dangerous these listening devices are. I disagree with punishing people who have bought them, but they ought to fix the devices.

The device is nasty in other ways too, It is full of proprietary software, and it communicates with other devices. To use it at all is a mistake. But the microphone allows it to snoop on people that don't use it.