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from the something-for-the-weekend-ma'am? dept.
The We-Vibe 4 Plus is a rubbery clamp that looks a little like the oversized thumb and forefinger of a Disneyland character pinching down. It comes in black, purple or pink and is billed as the "number one couple's vibrator." It has Bluetooth so that, once inserted into the desired part of your body, you can connect it to your smartphone and then use the We-Vibe app to control the intensity of its vibration.
So far, so saucy, but the following was revealed by two security researchers @gOldfisk and @rancidbacon at Defcon.
When the device is in use, the We-Vibe 4 Plus uses its internet connectivity to regularly send information back to its manufacturer, Standard Innovations Corporation. It sends the device's temperature every minute, and lets the manufacturer know each time a user changes the device's vibration level. The company could easily figure out some seriously intimate personal information like when you get off, how long it takes, and with what combinations of vibes.
Standard Innovation Corporation's president Frank Ferrari explains why they do this.
"At We-Vibe, we strive to create innovative products that have our customer's preferences in mind," he said. "We-Vibe collects data on the use of its products in terms of vibration intensity and mode for market research purposes so that we can better understand what settings and levels of intensity are most enjoyed."
Original article here
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Subsentient on Sunday August 14 2016, @01:39AM
So I wonder who decided this would be OK.
Nothing surprises me anymore.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 14 2016, @02:04AM
Welcome to the wild world of IoT. Where monthly subscription is king and security is tertiary.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Francis on Sunday August 14 2016, @02:05AM
Why not, they've just about collected all the data possible from the outside of the body.
The reality here is that this isn't going to stop as long as we keep electing corporatists to important posts in the government. The whole idea that something becomes legal because somebody was able to slip it into a contract or license that the enduser can't be reasonably expected to understand is ridiculous.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Monday August 15 2016, @05:14PM
You had phones that vibrate, now you have vibrators that phone.
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