US woman sues after smart vibrator transmits her data

A Chicago woman is suing adult sex toy manufacturer Standard Innovation, claiming that its We-Vibe smart vibrator transmitted user data back to the firm.

The class-action lawsuit alleges that data was collected without consent, violating privacy and fraud laws in the process, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The suit claimed the woman used the We-Vibe “several times”, but didn’t know it was sending her “personally identifiable” information to the manufacturer and monitoring her activity.

News of the legal action comes just over a month after two hackers from New Zealand revealed that the smart vibrator was phoning home. The duo claimed the device was sending data such as vibration intensity and device temperature.

The team behind the We-Vibe smart vibrator confirmed that ‘certain limited’ data was collected

In response to the hackers’ revelations, Standard Innovation issued a blog post last month, claiming that it took customer privacy and data practices “very seriously”. However, the firm also acknowledged that it did gather some data.

“We do collect certain limited data to help us improve our products and for diagnostic purposes. As a matter of practice, we use this data in an aggregate, non-identifiable form,” it explained.

“Processor chip temperature is used to help us determine whether device processors are operating correctly. And vibration intensity data is used for the purposes of helping us better understand how — in the aggregate — our product features are utilised.”

The firm added that users didn’t have to give identifying information (such as a name and address) or make an account to use the device.

App update incoming

It sought to reassure customers by saying it has already “enhanced” data security processes and sought advice from “external security and privacy experts”.

Nevertheless, the firm issued a new blog post on Tuesday, saying that it has updated the vibrator’s app.

“We are updating the We-Connect app later this month, and the update will include new in-app communication regarding our privacy and data practices and a new feature for consumers to control how their data may be used.”