Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by cmn32480 on Monday November 13 2017, @10:03PM   Printer-friendly
from the go-back-to-doing-it-the-old-fashioned-way dept.

Connected sex toys recorded intimate sessions without consent

Days ago, a Redditor discovered that their Lovense remote control app was unknowingly recording audio of a six-minute intimate session between the user and their significant other. It happened while they used the app to control the Lovense vibrator it's paired with, and it saved the recording to a local file buried in the phone's media storage. Another commenter, claiming to be a Lovense representative, said these recordings are the result of a "minor software bug."

Lovense: "Use teledildonics to improve your sex life!"

Previously: Vibrator Maker Pays $3.75 Million Settlement Over Data Collection
Pornhub's Newest Videos Can Reach Out and Touch You
Sex Toys Are Just as Poorly-Secured as the Rest of the Internet of Broken Things


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 5, Funny) by DannyB on Monday November 13 2017, @10:06PM (6 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 13 2017, @10:06PM (#596503) Journal

    In order to provide continued high quality service, this session may be monitored for training porpoises.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:20PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:20PM (#596515)

      In order to provide continued high quality service, this session may be monitored for training porpoises.

      The only industry where the phrase "shove it up your ass" is considered a success.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:21PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:21PM (#596516)

      "Thank you for calling Lovense. This call may be recorded.
      - Please press 1 if this is an emergency where both your app and your partner have become unresponsive.
      - Please press 2, and hold the phone up to your partner, if your app has become unresponsive but your partner is still responsive.
      - Please press 3 to listen to the previous caller who pressed #2.
      - Please press 0, or wait on the line, for all other calls."

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:26PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:26PM (#596518)

      That's ok as long as it doesn't involve mynas and state lions.

    • (Score: 2) by inertnet on Monday November 13 2017, @11:35PM

      by inertnet (4071) on Monday November 13 2017, @11:35PM (#596547) Journal

      This is the first time ever that "Score: 3, Touché" is on topic.

    • (Score: 2) by jcross on Tuesday November 14 2017, @09:33PM (1 child)

      by jcross (4009) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @09:33PM (#596993)

      What the hell are they training the porpoises to do?

      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday November 14 2017, @10:41PM

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 14 2017, @10:41PM (#597028) Journal

        It probably has something to do with the shape of their noses.

        --
        People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:32PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:32PM (#596523)

    You've given the app access to your microphone and your data connection. The shareholders demand satisfaction too!

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Mykl on Monday November 13 2017, @10:37PM

    by Mykl (1112) on Monday November 13 2017, @10:37PM (#596526)

    Now I know where the porn industry gets the overdubs for all of their videos!

  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday November 13 2017, @10:51PM (7 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Monday November 13 2017, @10:51PM (#596531)

    I know some people enjoy the ability to remotely buzz their partner when they are far apart.
    I know most users are clueless when it comes to cellphone safety.

    But can anyone tell me why people would want to have to fiddle with their cell phones, to control the sex toy when they are with their partner? You can play with toys, you can record yourself with the phone, but touchscreen ergonomics aren't exactly great for actual fucking. And suddenly, in comes the text from your mom, and the FB post from that friend with strong political opinions...
    At least, recent phones are "water"proof...

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:15PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:15PM (#596540)

      But can anyone tell me why people would want to have to fiddle with their cell phones, to control the sex toy when they are with their partner?

      Clearly you have never seen my wife, nor have you been forced to choose between Candy Crush and sex.

    • (Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:26AM (5 children)

      by edIII (791) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:26AM (#596571)

      I would be more worried about what is powering these new fancy vibrators. In ye olden days, it was a long line of D-Cell batteries (or a twelve volt battery for the brave). These day it is a formed brick of lithium ion that might literally explode in a pussy. I haven't heard of it yet, but I would imagine it is only a matter of time.

      These new fandangled teledidonics are a bad idea. Not everything needs to become wireless and miniaturized. I'm sure some dildo customers would appreciate a corded 220 volt model, or one that can hook up to your standard air compressor you might find in a shop.

      --
      Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:31AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:31AM (#596579)

        I like my pussy hot and bothered by being on fire.

      • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:32AM

        by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:32AM (#596581)

        > dildo customers would appreciate a corded 220 volt model, or one that can hook up to your standard air compressor you might find in a shop.

        Just don't get distracted when grabbing one of those for bathtub fun.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:43AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:43AM (#596622)

        Made by Hitachi. Classic corded model, multiple cap accesories. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitachi_Magic_Wand [wikipedia.org]

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @09:25AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @09:25AM (#596719)

        You say Lithium Ion batteries are too dangerous, and then talk about putting 220 Volts in that place?

        • (Score: 2) by Spamalope on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:44PM

          by Spamalope (5233) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:44PM (#596768) Homepage

          With the motor outside the body, not inserted before getting dressed so it'll be a lengthy process to remove it. I'm sure the searing pain won't with coordination either.

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:52PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @10:52PM (#596532)

    I don't know if I should rag on the fucks who buy the shit or the ones who make the shit.

    They deserve each other.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:24AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:24AM (#596570)

      That is a really stupid attitude. Does the US populace deserve mass surveillance because they use extremely convenient cell phones? Would someone who buys a self driving car deserve to be tracked and recorded just because they got a "smart" car? People have expectations of decency, and victims are almost never even partially to blame.

      • (Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday November 14 2017, @05:23AM (1 child)

        by Arik (4543) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @05:23AM (#596669) Journal
        "Does the US populace deserve mass surveillance because they use extremely convenient cell phones?"

        Forget about 'deserve' for a moment - we have nothing even approaching a decent cellphone precisely because enough people willingly buy garbage.

        The manufacturers have no reason to change until that changes. That goes for phones and cars and everything else. The market is flooded with utter crap and there is room for nothing else and it's it the idiots that continue to BUY this crap that guarantee this will not change.

        So in some sense they certainly deserve something. 40 strokes with a clue-cane on bare buttocks might wake someone up. Too bad they won't get it.
        --
        If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @05:58AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @05:58AM (#596676)

          A long winded rehash of the original statement, boring and lame.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:26PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:26PM (#596797)

      no

      because the ignorance of the masses will end up punishing us all

      look at what social media has become. only the few that are willing to be left out have managed to avoid it. there are misunderstandings about why those people avoid contact with people that start to believe that those abstaining are trying to avoid them, or dislike them or whatever the mind can imagine when there is no info.

      it used to be that my family used to use email and text messages to communicate, now they think i refuse to speak to them when it is they that stopped emailing me. instead they use fb or g+ to find new ways to invade the privacy of others and get personalized ads, instead of keeping it relatively private and certainly not public.

      email and sms was never secure back then; even if they used webmail with https, it still went between servers unsecured. heck one one young lady in my family was tagged at some college party on a date and time when she was hoped to be doing something else and she made an excuse, she got in so much political trouble for something she didn't post, advertise, or draw attention to herself. she simply said she couldn't attend one event and chose to attend another, where someone posted a bunch of photos and tagged people; photos that generally show what happens at college parties and young adults. it didnt matter she looked normal and was doing nothing wrong; other people clearly were in compromising positions and thus the guilt by association since she had opted to not go to that church retreat that weekend...

      she doesnt post anything now and it wasnt even her that stupidly posted the stuff. she didnt even know the photos were being taken. the lesson she learned was that anyone can be stupid and anyone else can be offended. she couldnt delete her account because so much is tied to her using it. its forced. its like there is no way out and still have a semblence of normalcy. younger adults can't avoid social networks; its practically required and many many means to interact require some privacy violating application. even logging into regular sites to pay a bill or whatever often requires 2 factor authentcation and places that you'd never give your cell phone info to now need it for you to log in.

      the only way out is to not participate, and then people think you are a creepy jerk with something to hide. maybe thats true, but at least its speculation at that point.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @03:53PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @03:53PM (#596835)

        because the ignorance of the masses will end up punishing us all

        Like your bizarre refusal to capitalize anything in that entire post?

  • (Score: 5, Touché) by istartedi on Monday November 13 2017, @10:57PM (2 children)

    by istartedi (123) on Monday November 13 2017, @10:57PM (#596536) Journal

    Aren't there enough dildos on the Internet already?

    --
    Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:17PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:17PM (#596542)

      Aren't there enough dildos on the Internet already?

      Enough for who? No matter what we have someone always wants more.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:52PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:52PM (#596550)

        And in.... larger sizes.

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:12PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:12PM (#596539)

    Your vibrator have virus.

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:16PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @11:16PM (#596541)

      It's the Cyber-AIDS!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @10:26AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @10:26AM (#596731)

        Are you sure it isn't Cyphilis?

  • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Monday November 13 2017, @11:20PM (3 children)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Monday November 13 2017, @11:20PM (#596544)

    They need to get with it, recoding naughty time is so much better with good old retro cassette tape. :P

    At least a cassette recorder won't phone home.

    A "minor software bug".... riiiiiiiiight.

    • (Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:27AM

      by edIII (791) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:27AM (#596575)

      At least a cassette recorder won't phone home.

      Give E.T 10 minutes, and a generous supply of Reese's Pieces, and I believe it just might phone home.

      --
      Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @09:28AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @09:28AM (#596720)

      A "minor software bug".... riiiiiiiiight.

      Sure. The bug was that the file was saved on the phone instead of being transmitted to the server. :-)

    • (Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Wednesday November 15 2017, @01:59PM

      by Rivenaleem (3400) on Wednesday November 15 2017, @01:59PM (#597274)
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:07AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:07AM (#596556)

    its called phonesex, and has been around a lot longer than cell phonez and appz.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:19AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:19AM (#596567)

      Now your phone just fucks you.

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:14AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:14AM (#596561)

    Don't record without permission. Don't put it in the fine print. Proclaim it loudly! There is a market for one that could spy on you.

    Send the data unencrypted on purpose. For the low-end model, "We could be listening at any time." Maybe pay somebody minimum wage to randomly listen, just so you can honestly say that you listen in sometimes.

    For a high-end model, offer a subscription service that covers the cost of listening. Outsource it to Lesotho, Bangladesh, Paraguay, or any other cheap place... but be sure to have at least one trustworthy manager to watch over the call center and make sure that somebody is always listening.

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:27AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:27AM (#596573)

      For a really high-end model, you could charge lots of money to have specific types of people listening.

      *choose male, female, M-to-F, F-to-M, intersex, eunuch, etc.
      *choose young people or old people
      *for lots of extra money, sometimes offer special deals to have famous people listen (maybe $123,456 for a Kardashian for up to an hour)
      *choose a muslim, an atheist, a jew, a catholic, or a baptist

      So maybe you normally go for a catholic MILF, but then you bid in an auction to get Howard Stern. Instead of your usual butt sex, you give Howard Stern an hour of pretending to be with sheep -- or maybe you even get a sheep for the occasion.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:36AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:36AM (#596583)

        I'll only pay if you can guarantee me someone who looks like my grandma.
        Video or nothing. I am very particular.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:28AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:28AM (#596576)

      Hmm, I guess maybe a few people would get off knowing they're being monitored, but I doubt enough to make it marketable.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @12:32AM (#596582)

    -nomsg

  • (Score: 4, Funny) by mechanicjay on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:18AM

    by mechanicjay (7) <reversethis-{gro ... a} {yajcinahcem}> on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:18AM (#596612) Homepage Journal

    Any day where we see the word 'teledildonics' in print is a good one. Shout out to Ted Nelson [wikipedia.org], coiner of the term [wikipedia.org] in 1975.

    --
    My VMS box beat up your Windows box.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @07:55AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @07:55AM (#596705)

    Think again buddy, it just might be the most dangerous form yet invented.

  • (Score: 2) by captain_nifty on Tuesday November 14 2017, @03:45PM (1 child)

    by captain_nifty (4252) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @03:45PM (#596831)

    What people want is the ability to control or monitor some device remotely, be it a sex toy, thermostat, or any other IOT device. Smartphones make a convenient remote control or screen to interface with these devices for most people. This is more convenient than having to keep track of multiple dedicated remote controls for every device.

    What most people don't (and often won't) understand is that they are broadcasting all of this data to the company (and often the world). People see a remote control, they see their phone and they see the IOT device, they don't think about the information leaving their house and traversing the world on multiple computers owned by other people. If they understood this the convenience of a remote control might not seem like such a great deal. Turn on the sex toy with my phone, well that's convenient, but it records and transmits all this data to a company server which makes copies of everything (oh and probably transmits and stores it all unencrypted), not such a great deal anymore. And you can be sure that any data the company can get, they will get, and it will all be packaged and sold for a profit (not your profit, theirs).

    This is inherent in the IOT system, if we wanted to set up the device to simply be remote controlled by a smartphone there are ways it could be done that don't involve using the company servers, but IOT is specifically set up to not do this, because logging the data in the server is what the companies want, it is the entire point of IOT. It is intentionally deceptive to consumers; sold as a convenience, but used as an data asset collection method by the companies.

    Fuck IOT! Remember the S in IOT stands for security! Insecure by design!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @08:15PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14 2017, @08:15PM (#596963)

      Fortunately for the Big biz people are naive and stupid.

(1)