Smart sex toy SPYING fears as top maker sued for snooping on users – including how hard vibrator was set to buzz
A 'SMART' sex toy firm that makes "connected" vibrators is being sued for allegedly snooping on users.
It's claimed that top brand Lovense stored the times of vibrator use, and even the vibration strength level – all associated to identifiable email addresses.
Smart sex toys are a growing area of kinky paraphernalia.
Connecting to smartphones via Bluetooth and the internet, the vibrators can be controlled remotely – and even buzz along to music.
But a US judge has now approved a class-action lawsuit filed by a Lovense customer who says the firm is transmitting intimate data without user consent.
The decision, first spotted by , means that Lovense will now have to prove it hasn't breached the USA's Wiretap Act.
Lovense promotional materials allegedly claimed its systems record "as little information about our users as possible".
But it turned out that the Lovense Lush vibrator was tracking the exact data and time devices were used.
It also recorded the vibration intensity level that users had chosen, as well as the email addresses of the users.
Hytto, a Hong Kong-based firm that owns the Lovense brand, tried to argue that the lawsuit wasn't valid because it's headquarted outside of the USA.
But the majority of Lovense web traffic and sales come from the USA, so the judge ruled that the lawsuit was valid.
Part of the court's decision also related to whether or not the strength of a sex toy's vibration is "content" that can be intercepted.
The judge ruled that it was, allowing the lawsuit to go ahead.
"The Body Chat app transmits a user's desired strength of touch," a court filing reads.
"This desired strength, or vibration intensity, is not 'incidental' to the communication.
"Vibration intensity is not automatically-generated data. Accordingly, vibration intensity constitutes 'content' under the Wiretap Act."
It's not clear how much Lovense could be forced to pay if it loses the lawsuit.
However, as SexTechGuide notes, the parent company of We-Vibe was previously ordered to pay £2.5million to users of its smart sex devices after losing a privacy case.
We've asked Lovense for comment and will update this story with any response.
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Do you think smart sex toys are safe? Let us know in the comments!
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