- WASHINGTON (AP) _ First, they foiled thousands of weary parents, desperately
scouring store shelves to buy their kids ``the'' holiday toy. Now, the
five-inch plush gremlin-like creatures are wanted again, this time by the
nation's supersecret spy agency: Furbys could pose the latest threat to
national security interests. The National Security Agency has banned the
popular pets from its Fort Meade premises in Maryland. In an internal message
to workers, the NSA issued a warning about the toy, which is embedded with
a computer chip that allows it to utters 200 words _ 100 in English and
100 in ``Furbish.'' ``Personally owned photographic, video and audio recording
equipment are prohibited items. This includes toys, such as 'Furbys,' with
built-in recorders that repeat the audio with synthesized sound to mimic
the original signal,'' the Furby Alert read, according to Wednesday's editions
of The Washington Post. ``We are prohibited from introducing these items
into NSA spaces. Those who have should contact their Staff Security Office
for guidance.'' The Furby resembles an owl, with tufts of hair between
its huge pink ears. Because of its ability to repeat some of what it hears,
NSA officials were worried ``that people would take them home and they'd
start talking classified,'' one Capitol Hill source told the Post.
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