A class-action lawsuit has been filed by a Lovense customer who claimed that the famed sex toy manufacturer has been snooping on users, SexTechGuide reported.
The most blatant cases, involving one of the firm’s best-selling devices, the Lovense Lush vibrator, are said to include registering the times the vibrator was used, and the vibration strength level. The decision first spotted by afore mentioned edition, means that Lovense will currently have to prove it hasn’t breached the US’s Wiretap Act, because the vibrators, while connecting to smartphones via Bluetooth and the internet, can be controlled remotely.
Meanwhile, Lovense promotional leaflets have allegedly claimed the systems that their kinky paraphernalia operate on record “as little information about our users as possible”. Hytto, a Hong Kong-based firm that owns the Lovense brand, tried to put across an idea that the lawsuit wasn't valid because the firm’s headquarters are located outside of the US.
However, the judge ruled otherwise, stating that most of Lovense’s web traffic and sales come from the US. He also addressed the issue of whether or not the strength of the vibration produced by the sex toy constitutes “content” that can be intercepted, arguing that the desired transmitted “strength of touch” is not “incidental” to the communication, a court filing reads, ruling that the lawsuit should go ahead. It is not immediately clear how much the company will be required to pay in compensation if it loses the privacy case.
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SexTechGuide notes, the parent company of We-Vibe was previously ordered to pay £2.5 million to users of its smart sex devices after losing a similar lawsuit.