IS YOUR SEX TOY SPYING ON YOU?

THE LIST OF Things We Trust That Can Be Hacked is growing by the day. But if you think your phone/laptop/bank account falling victim to a cyber attack is as invasive as it gets, think again. Fears over our sex-toy safety has prompted Labour MP Chi Onwurah to call for security requirements on smart devices. Connected sex toys are anything from Bluetooth vibrators to ‘smart’ butt plugs and can include cameras and long-distance controllers. And their connectivity leaves them prey to hackers.

Last month, researchers discovered Vibratissimo’s Panty Buster could be broken into to ‘remotely pleasure’ people over the internet. In a separate incident, sex toy company Lovense admitted its vibrators have been accidentally backing up intimate sessions on users’ phones, blaming a ‘minor software bug’. And devices such as the Siime Eye vibrator, which incorporates a camera to share your ‘wonderful sexual adventures’ remotely with your partner, can be hacked via the device’s Wi-fi access point.

Chi says she’s shocked by the lack of regulation. ‘ This is very personal, intimate data… Pictures could leave you open to cyber blackmail and it could make you more susceptible to phishing. It’s terrifying.’

She thinks the Government is scared of setting data security requirements because they might impinge on companies like Google and Facebook ‘who do lots with our data. There’s a data protection bill going to the Commons right now – that would be a fantastic opportunity to get protections written into law. That’s what I’m fighting for.’

For now, it might be wise to do a digital detox and go analogue to get your buzz on.