If you get — er — lonely while traveling and you use technology to remotely connect with someone else for an intimate experience powered by technology, you may want to rethink that idea if you value you privacy.
Smart Sex Toy Lawsuit Settled for $3.75 Million
In this settlement agreement filed on Thursday, March 9, 2017 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division in Chicago, We-Vibe — which is a company based in Ottawa that produces “adult sensual lifestyle products” — agreed to pay $5 million in Canadian dollars to resolve privacy claims, as those products transmitted customer data.
That settlement is worth approximately $3.75 million in United States dollars; and each customer in the United States who is affected by this lawsuit and used the software application program on his or her mobile telephone — as well as provide his or her name and telephone number and other details as part of the claim process — can potentially receive up to $10,000.00.
Anyone else who simply purchased a We-Vibe connected device will receive up to $199.00.
How It Works — Not That I Would Know
Partners in remote locations can install the software application program on their portable electronic devices and use Bluetooth technology to control — well — their other portable electronic devices to simulate sexual experiences for pleasure.
The technology which powers these products even have such general names as teledildonics or cyberdildonics. Accessories are also available for these products to enhance the experience.
Standard Innovation Corporation — which is the parent company of We-Vibe and Laid and was founded in 2004 — allegedly used the software application program to collect and harvest data pertaining to how customers used the products, according to the plaintiffs of the lawsuit. That information included — but was not limited to — how often customers used the products; as well as at what settings of temperature and intensity were used.
The alleged collection of data and information led the plaintiffs — whose identities remained anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the allegations — to file the lawsuit.
Sex as a Part of Travel
Activities of a salacious and lascivious nature have been known to be associated with travel — such as viewing pornographic materials aboard airplanes by passengers; attempts to pass items of a sexual nature through airport security checkpoints; and adult content provided in hotel rooms…
…and there is also the claim that sex is the best way to cure fear of flying as a passenger aboard airplanes.
Even pilots have been known to be found with illicit materials in the cockpit of an airplane.
Along with the advent of the Internet and moral standards which includes preventing minor children from accidentally being exposed to sexual content, this technology may have been another contributing factor which led to the demise of on-demand adult content in hotel rooms and was eventually removed by many lodging companies — including Marriott International, Incorporated; Hilton Worldwide; and Hyatt Corporation.
With the advent of the frequent guest loyalty programs of more lodging corporations — such as Hilton HHonors, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards and Hyatt Gold Passport — offering free Internet access to guests, I would not be surprised if the use of teledildonics or cyberdildonics — as well as other forms of simulated sex remotely — continues to gain traction…
…but at what price in terms of privacy?
Summary
Whenever I arrive at a hotel room after checking in to the hotel property, I like to eat, relax, think about what I am going to do when I awaken the next day, look outside the window if there is a decent view, take a long hot shower and sleep comfortably — in addition to writing articles for The Gate, of course.
Eating freshly baked bread flavored with dill is the only dill dough in which I would be interested in partaking while in a hotel room; and the only vibrator I want to hear is that of my mobile telephone whenever I receive a text message. I am certainly not part of the target market of Standard Innovation Corporation.
I would by no means consider myself a prude; but I am still trying to wrap my head around this one, as I cannot even imagine doing this — nor can I even begin to think what information that customer data contained; and I would really, really rather not find out.
Shows how little I know about the ins and outs of this aspect of technology…
Source: We-Vibe.
