Smart vibrators too curious: Judge approved million compensation
Smart vibrators too curious: Judge approved million compensation
16.08.2017 18:52 UhrAndreas Wilkens
Converted 3.2 million euros pays standard innovation.
(Picture: We-Vibe)
3.75 million US dollars, the Canadian company wants to pay standard innovation to compensate for spying vibratory software. The judge agrees.
The procedure between the Canadian company Standard Innovation and the "Wevibe" curious vibrators has ended. Judge Virginia M. Kendall of the US District Court in Illinois agreed on the agreement reached in March between the two parties, according to a court document from Tuesday (Norther Illinois District Court, 16-cv-8655). Standard innovation pays the plaintiffs 10,000 US dollars per person, which makes a total of 3.75 million US dollars.
Curious app
The We-Connect app needed to control the sex toys had secretly sent usage data to the manufacturer – including how often and when the device was used, the intensity of the vibration and the set temperature. Partially, the products connected via Bluetooth to the smartphone run exclusively with this application, as well as providing a significant portion of the functionality.
Remote control
However, the connected device can also be remotely controlled via the Internet, while the user can communicate with the partner via video and text chat. However, this runs over the servers of the manufacturer's company, as well as many functions require a registration with an e-mail address. The manufacturer had not contested the collection of data, but he stressed that the data would not be stored in a personal and secure manner against third-party access. The applicants argued that the collected data could very well be used for identification purposes.
(ANW)