S#X Toy maker faces legal action in the UK for collecting intimate customer data

    Canada-based firm Standard Innovation which makes S#X Toys has agreed to pay out more than $3.75 million to customers in North America after the firm’s customers lodged a complaint against the company for collecting intimate details without their consent.

    The pleasure giving toy manufacturer is also on a verge to face a similar lawsuit in the UK as users of its We-Vibe products have accused the company of collecting data such as when the toy is being used and at what vibration intensity is mostly being set by the customer. All these details are being gathered by the servers of the company from the smartphone app that controls the toys.

    Standard Innovation has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the info was meant to monitor its products of any defects and analyzing the usage for the betterment of its future solutions.

    However, the company which agreed to pay $3.75 million to all customers of North America is reluctant to do so for its UK user base.

    But UK Law Firm Slater and Gordon says that it has been approached by several (almost 1200) UK customers and so the litigation will land in court soon and might end in a financially disastrous note for the company.

    As per the details available from Daily Mail, most of the people who are the customers of the S#X toy manufacturer are concerned on knowing the fact that all their se#ual habits are being monitored and being stored on a server along with their names, phone numbers and email IDs.

    The UK users are horrified to know the gross invasion of their privacy and say that they would have never used the app if they were educated about such consequences by the company beforehand.

    As per the European Data Protection Act which also applies to the UK, sensitive data of users/clients have to be gathered and stored on with their explicit consent. If done otherwise, then it is a clear breach of person/s privacy under all moral grounds.

    Note- This data collection saga first came to light during the Def Con Hacking Conference held in the US last year. The pleasure toy maker immediately faced flak from its users resulting in a legal suite where the toy maker had to shell out more than $3.75 million to its customers.

    Now, Standard Innovation is said to face a similar lawsuit in the UK and this time customers who are astonished by the news of privacy innovation aren’t ready to compromise with just a financial settlement.

    In the meantime, the S#X Toy maker has enhanced the privacy notice by providing its customers more choice in the data they share, increased app security and is also working with legal experts to settle this issue out of court.

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    Naveen Goud
    Naveen Goud is a writer at Cybersecurity Insiders covering topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Startups, Cyber Attacks, Cloud Security and Mobile Security

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