Does this class action lawsuit qualify as a teledildonics backlash?
The makers of the We-Vibe, a line of vibrators that can be paired with an app for remote-controlled use, have reached a $3.75 million class action settlement with users following allegations that the company was collecting data on when and how the sex toy was used. Standard Innovations, the Canadian manufacturer of the We-Vibe, does not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement finalized Monday.
The We-Vibe product line includes a number of Bluetooth-enabled vibrators that, when linked to the "We-Connect" app, can be controlled from a smartphone. It allows a user to vary rhythms, patterns and settings — or give a partner, in the room or anywhere in the world, control of the device. (You can see a video promoting the app's features here; be advised, it is briefly not safe for work.)
[...] The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Illinois in September. It alleges that — without customers' knowledge — the app was designed to collect information about how often, and with what settings, the vibrator was used.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday March 16 2017, @03:17AM
This is true. For example, the "free" version of Turbotax, asks how you are feeling. Further extrapolation indicates that the free version is free as a result of the data they are collecting.
For me, the stakes are so low I don't care...but that may not apply to the rest of you.