'Smart Vibrator' Maker Settles Suit From Outraged Users

The makers of an internet-connected sex toy that harvested data about its users' intimate moments have settled a lawsuit from outraged customers. Standard Innovation Corp., the company behind the "We-Vibe" smart vibrator, has agreed to pay up to $10,000 to customers who used a smartphone app that allowed one partner to remotely control settings like vibration intensity, Fortune reports. Those who bought a We-Vibe without using the app are entitled to a $199 payout under the class-action suit, which was settled in federal court in Chicago. The Canadian company has agreed to pay out a total of around $3.75 million.

The lawsuit was filed by a woman who learned via a DEF CON hacking convention talk that her vibrator was tracking information, including temperature and vibration level, and sending it back to the company's servers in Canada without her consent, Ars Technica and Engadget report. The company, which stresses that no user data was compromised, says it has improved security features and privacy notices and is still working "with leading privacy and security experts to enhance the app." (This sexy "mighty" device was the first of its kind on Kickstarter.)