Securing Sextech: The Importance of Keeping Your Private Life—Private
Sextoy manufacturers and customers need to take customer data protection seriously
Whether wearing BlueTooth-enabled chastity devices to experience the power-exchange pleasures of sexual denial play or enjoying the mutually interactive possibilities of Internet-connected sextoys, the new world of smart sextech devices is well on its way to enhancing the sex lives of millions of people.
But what happens if a hacker infiltrates the app controlling your chastity device holding your genitalia for ransom—or threatens to expose your interactive self-pleasuring activities unless they receive a certain amount in Bitcoins?
In a study conducted by Dr. Mark Cote, Dr. William Seymour, Dr. Jennifer Pybus, and Dalia Mariasin for the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, these and other types of sex toy hacking involving cloud-based services were explored.
Add to that Apple allowing the first-ever adult content app to be downloaded on their iPhone platforms in the European Union and the ever-new round of remote sex toys being introduced seemingly every day, we can’t but wonder where we are, mid-way into this decade, in securing our ever-more technologically advanced sex toys and adult apps?
Buyer beware
As this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) illustrated, a slew of new desktops and laptops featuring new chips running ever-advancing-AI software are well on their way, not to mention a slew of next-generation handhelds and a bevy of state-of-the-art BlueTooth-enabled sextoys
But connecting with a partner via the net, while something many have been doing for quite a while and surely a way of playing that opens all kinds of interesting sexual positive possibilities, also throws the lid of Pandora’s Box wide open.
As Adrian Gonzalez, Editorial Director of ToyChats, reminds us, “I hate to admit it, but sex toy apps aren’t immune to data breaches.”
Emphasizing the need for users to be more security conscious, Adrian added, “It goes without saying, but make sure you’re on a private network when you’re using a sex toy app. You’re putting yourself and any virtual partners at risk if you’re using somebody else’s WiFi or a public network.”
How we got here
By the end of the new century’s first decade, sextoy manufacturers had begun equipping their products with a range of new, interactive technologies, including Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.
However, while this period also saw a decrease and eventual near cessation of phthalate use in those same products—notably the result of Ulrich Krieg’s research—many of those same companies tended to fall behind in terms of securing their online-capable toys.
Companies start to step up
Fortunately, a growing number of sextech industry leaders are beginning to prioritize customer security more seriously.
“Safety and privacy are top priorities for us at Ohdoki, and we’ve built our devices with key safeguards to protect users from modern digital threats,” Ohdoki’s CEO, JP Wilhelmse, manufacturer of The Handy stroker and Oh! Vibrator told us.
For instance, Wilhelmse’s company has implemented new methods to help ensure user security and anonymity, starting by giving new customers the option to set up a personal account or not.
Additionally, rather than storing personal data, Ohdoki now utilizes a unique, end-to-end encryption system to ensure that user data and personal communications remain fully protected.
Wilhelmse further summed up their dedication to consumer security, stating:
A strong database with a strong defending system is required for us to keep our app safe, I’m not an I.T. professor so it’s hard for me to explain this, however, what I know the fact is that the personal information was sold by someone in 99% of total cases, not hacked. This means that if we don’t sell this information, the chance of hacking is super low. And we never do something illegal.
Together we stand
In the current climate of what NexGenus calls “frictionless shopping,” a consumer state providing a “seamless customer journey where every touchpoint, from product discovery to checkout, is intuitive and efficient,” it’s becoming clear that most people aren’t fond of waiting for anything—let alone when purchasing smart sextoys.
Leading, with the proliferation of rapid online checkouts, to suppliers needing to have their products ready to ship at a moment’s notice, but hopefully not sacrificing customer security in the process.
Although some companies are taking steps to keep their transactions and sales private, Adrian Gonzalez also reminds us that it’s just as imperative for buyers to remain acutely aware of their security risks and not let their desires get in the way of their common sense.
Take control
Adding to this Caveat Emptor approach, this ExpressVPN article provides even more salient (some might even say obvious) points, such as customers needing to adequately research not just what they are buying but who they are buying it from:
Has this manufacturer suffered security breaches, and, if so, how quickly and effectively were they addressed fixing these problems. These days, you don’t have to dig too deep for reviews…especially negative ones.
Another crucial security measure is to be aware of how a company acquires and uses customer information.
As for how to prevent someone from accessing your smart playthings, ExpressVPN recommends services such as theirs, writing, “VPN will not remove the risk of a hacker infiltrating your sex app maker’s servers. But it will prevent snooping on where exactly it is you might be going when connected to a WiFi sex toy.”
Lastly, be cautious when electronically sharing your Internet-of-things devices, particularly with companies that have a less-than-stellar security rating.
Be smart, play safe
In the end, what we’ve always needed is well-reasoned, transparent communication between manufacturers and purchasers—no matter what the product is, where, why, and how it’s used—combined with customers also developing some much-needed shopping smarts.
Image Sources: Depositphotos
