App-controlled vibrator sends manufacturer intimate usage data without permission

The "couples vibrator" We-Vibe 4 Plus is controlled via a smartphone app connected to the device via Bluetooth. In 2016, researchers revealed at Defcon that the devices uses its internet connectivity to send information back to its manufacturer including the device's temperature, measured every minute, and vibration level, whenever a user changes it. Based on that information, the manufacturer, Standard Innovations Corporation, can work out deeply intimate information about device users. The company claimed it collects this information in order to better understand what its users like; the company also said it was revising its privacy policy, which did not mention the data collection.

https://splinternews.com/this-sex-toy-tells-the-manufacturer-every-time-you-use-1793861000

Writer: Kashmir Hill
Publication: Splinternews
Publication date: 2016-09-08