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You, your battery-operated pleasure-maker of choice and a long, cosy night in. Your dirty little secret, right?
Apparently, wrong: Big Brother is watching you.
Well, he could be. Cyber security experts have warned that the onset of “smart” sex toys comes with alarming privacy risks. And one vibrator in particular is making a buzz (for all the wrong reasons).
The We-Vibe 4 Plus – a top-rated little C-shaped device that connects to a smartphone app via Bluetooth, allowing your partner to turn you on remotely – is reportedly sharing sensitive (read steamy) information with its creators. Every time the vibration level is altered or the temperature changes, data is sent off to the folk at Standard Innovation Corporation.
Sound dodgy? This week a woman in the US filed a civil suit against We-Vibe for “spying on my vagina”. Standard Innovation made a statement that any intimate information the vibrator sends to the company is for “diagnostic purposes” only.
But beyond spilling your sex secrets, the device could leave you vulnerable to something much more sinister.
A pair of professional hackers has demonstrated that it’s possible for third parties to take control of the vibrator remotely. In the murky new world of online crime, activation of a sex toy sans the user’s consent could constitute sexual assault.
Scared? Don’t be. Sex toys needn’t be smart to be sigh-inducing, so if in doubt, stick to trusty, lo-fi offerings (there’s a reason the Rabbit is an icon). After all, orgasms belong on cloud nine, not in the Cloud.
Source: Newsweek
