The vibrator in question is manufactured by the company Standard Innovation Corp., and it is called the We-Vibe. The vibrator can be operated via a smartphone application, including remotely. The device is a fairly big seller in the sex toys market.
The current issue relates to the ‘smart’ functionality of the device. With this, an Illinois woman has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in relation to the connectivity of the sex toy. The woman, who remains anonymous, has claimed that the manufacturer of the vibrator has collected her usage information and has used the data for research purposes without her knowledge or gaining prior permission.
The vibrator has the functionality to be operated via an app, called ‘We-Connect.’ The app can be downloaded via the Apple App Store or Google Play. The app enables the vibrator to be controlled via a smartphone (such as variable speed settings). Another aspect of the app, according to its marketing, is to allow the vibrator owner’s lover to remotely control the sex toy from afar.
A further aspect of the app, which has come to light through the law suit, is that the We-Vibe manufacturer – Canadian company Standard Innovation – has been monitoring, collecting and transmitting usage information. The data is held on computer servers in Ottawa. Data collected apparently included body temperature and vibration intensity.
The case alleges that there is no information supplied with the product or the app that indicates Standard Innovation will collect or hold any data. Here the woman’s lawyers state, as quoted by QMed, to do this is “highly offensive to a reasonable person as it reveals intimate private details about their sexual behavior that they believed were confidential.”
The interim Standard Innovation has updated the information about the app and has added renewed data privacy guidance.
The case is set to be heard in the U.S. District Court in Illinois. The implications, should the case be found in the woman’s favor, could cut through various types of connected devices.
