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Vibrator Maker To Pay Millions Over Claims It Secretly Tracked Use (npr.org)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: The makers of the We-Vibe, a line of vibrators that can be paired with an app for remote-controlled use, have reached a $3.75 million class action settlement with users following allegations that the company was collecting data on when and how the sex toy was used. The We-Vibe product line includes a number of Bluetooth-enabled vibrators that, when linked to the "We-Connect" app, can be controlled from a smartphone. It allows a user to vary rhythms, patterns and settings -- or give a partner, in the room or anywhere in the world, control of the device. Since the app was released in 2014, some observers have raised concerns that Internet-connected sex toys could be vulnerable to hacking. But the lawsuit doesn't involve any outside meddling -- instead, it centers on concerns that the company itself was tracking users' sex lives. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Illinois in September. It alleges that -- without customers' knowledge -- the app was designed to collect information about how often, and with what settings, the vibrator was used. The lawyers for the anonymous plaintiffs contended that the app, "incredibly," collected users' email addresses, allowing the company "to link the usage information to specific customer accounts." Customers' email addresses and usage data were transmitted to the company's Canadian servers, the lawsuit alleges. When a We-Vibe was remotely linked to a partner, the connection was described as "secure," but some information was also routed through We-Connect and collected, the lawsuit says.

6 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Huh by war4peace · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's a bad vibe about all this...

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    1. Re:Huh by s.petry · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh yes it is, oh yes it, oh yes, ohhhhhhh

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  2. Didn't see that cumming by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    IOT vibrators, what could go wrong?

    1. Re: Didn't see that cumming by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

      sssh, the poster deserves to find out the hard way

    2. Re:Didn't see that cumming by s.petry · · Score: 4, Funny

      IOT vibrators, what could go wrong?

      A chipped blue tooth?

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  3. Kelly Anne Conway by Billly+Gates · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ah so it wasn't the microwave. She must of got her appliances confused and left the wrong one out. Doh