You download a new app, eager to get past the sign-in page and all the pop-ups asking you if you're super sure you don't want to pay for the premium version. When you're almost there, the app asks you to agree to a lengthy privacy policy. If you’re like me and you lack caution, you hastily check yes and move on.
This scenario is becoming an increasingly common problem as more gadgets require companion apps to control them. And sex toys are no exception.
With research showing that the global sex toy market continues to grow steadily—it’s expected to top $80 billion by 2030—it only makes sense that this wildly popular electronics sector also turned to app-pairing technology. Of course, if you’re worried about a paired app collecting data about how you’re using the device, it might be alarming to consider what types of data a sex toy’s app is tracking.
"App-connected sex toys could be collecting highly sensitive data," says Ray Walsh, a digital privacy expert at the consumer research site Comparitech. Walsh says the types of data collected potentially include sexual behavior data, usage frequency, intensity settings, partner connections, location data, and IP addresses. "Sexual behavior data," explains Walsh, refers to information such as which toy you're using, how you're using it, and which functions you're using. If the toy has an app that enables you to connect with another partner for long-distance play, then the app could also collect data from whoever you're using it with.
Most companies that collect data will claim they’re doing so to improve their products–if, for instance, they’re collecting data on which modes or intensities are being used and notice most users are keeping it on the highest setting, they might use this information to make future toys that offer stronger vibrations. Companies can also use the data to market new features or products to you. A spokesperson for the sex toy brand Lelo tells me data collection is used to help the company better tailor any marketing or advertisements it might target you with.
But collected data can also end up being scooped up by data brokers if a company decides to sell its customer data to make a buck, says Chris Hauk, consumer privacy champion at Pixel Privacy. “Brokers can sell the data to anyone who wants it and can afford to pay for it. This can include the government, private investigators, advertisers, and any other nosy party," he says.
Paul Bischoff, a consumer privacy advocate at Comparitech also adds that the reason some sex toy companies will sell information to data brokers is simply to create a second stream of revenue. “Brokers can then match and package it with data they've collected from other sources, then sell it to advertisers who use it to target their audience. Each app user's data is associated with an email address, device ID, IP address, tracking cookie, or some other identifier used to target them with ads,” Bischoff says. That means any collected data that ends up being sold is passing through quite a few parties.