Sex Toy Data Privacy: Is You Vibrator Spying On You?

If I told you there was an aspect of modern sex toy technology you should be wary of, what would you immediately assume I was talking about? Vibrators replacing a need for human intimacy? Shoddy product exploding inside people? Robot sex doll gaining sentience and committing all manner of crimes? The reality is a bit more mundane than that. With the rise of app-connected toys, the biggest technological worry at the moment is breaches of sex toy data privacy.

Though no one’s going to write a bestselling sci-fi book about the world of data breaches (well, maybe they might, but would it really be as captivating as Her?), it is a very real problem that most of us have come across at some point in our time online, to some degree or another. And while sex toys may seem more frivolous than, say, banking, it is still important to be aware of the impact our online choices have. Your data is still your data, and companies and hackers want it for a reason.

Advertising

Companies collecting your data to advertise to you is nothing new. We all get countless targeted ads a day, and our data is a great way for companies to learn how to sell to us. For example, the popular brand Lelo apparently uses app information to sell specific products to people, depending on what their preferences are. For example, they might sell a new, powerful vibrator to someone who constantly has their current vibe going at maximum intensity. They also use overall data to improve their products, which is a little less morally dubious, but really, there are far less violating ways of collecting feedback from customers. But whatever their motives may be, your favorite app-based company can sell your private information to data brokers, who will then use it to collect as much information as they can on you and your spending habits.

The Tale of Tenga

In February, 2026, Japanese sex toy company Tenga was hacked, leading to a leak of customer names, email addresses, and email correspondences (including customer service conversations). Around 600 people had their information breached, and while the hacker(s) didn’t get their billing information, that’s still not someone you want other people to know about. The hackers even used the hacked account to send spam/phishing emails to former customers.

Tenga seems to have learned their lesson, and is strengthening their security protocols. I hope that other companies will learn from this incident and do the same, without needing an embarrassing breach of privacy to push them to do it.

Even Charging isn’t Safe

Charing your toys is something you absolutely need to do (unless you prefer battery-powered, I suppose), but charging it up via your computer might not be a good idea. In 2024, a reddit user reported that a sex toy they bought was infected with a Malware virus that would have caused a lot of damage if it hadn’t been flagged.

Now, it’s impossible to know for sure if this story is true, especially since no one else has encountered this issue, even when trying to recreate it, but I’m not about to advocate for putting strange USBs into your computer. In general, it’s a good idea to charge it with a normal charger, just to be on the safe side.

Who Thought This was a Good Idea?

The Siime Eye is a Wi-Fi enabled toy that includes a camera in the tip in order to share videos. Not really my thing, but I can definitely imagine some people loving it. What people did not love, however, was the easily breached privacy. The toy’s default Wi-Fi password was ridiculously simple and listed in the manual, meaning if customers stuck with the default password, anyone in Wi-Fi range could potentially watch their video. The company has since updated their apps, thank goodness, but that doesn’t mean another company in the future won’t have the same security flaw. Don’t assume that everything going in your privates is…private.

Connection Apps

It’s easy to get enthusiastic about connection apps. With people worried that technology will isolate us, what could be better than technology designed to bring long-distance couples together? Well, I know one thing that would be better: technology that was designed to bring long-distance couples together while also being secure. The BLE connectivity that links toys to their companion apps is not always encrypted, making them vulnerable to attacks, and therefore making the users vulnerable to sexual extortion (sorry, I’m not calling it “sextortion”—yes, it’s a clever little portmanteau, but entirely too flippant-sounding for the thing it’s actually describing). Not only can these hacks cause psychological damage, but then can cause physical harm as well. If someone hacks into an app controlling a toy, they could potentially use the controls to overheat it, make it vibrate too intensely, or lock a device.

The Takeaway

I know it’s tempting to just hit “accept all cookies”, or to breeze past the details of app before downloading it and exploring all the cool features. But keep in mind that the sex toy you’re about to use is a piece of technology you’re about to use on the most intimate parts of your body. While we all love the ability to use a toy exactly where, when and how we want to, this is one area when it might be wise to treat a toy like you would an actual partner. You wouldn’t want to immediately get it on with someone without knowing a little bit about them, right (I mean, maybe you would, and that’s cool, but we can all agree it’s not necessarily the smartest move)?

So double check what security measures an app has in place before downloading it. Make sure your chats in the connection app can’t be accessed by anyone else. If you’re on the fence about a product, write to their customer service and see what safeguards they have in place. Do some research and stay safe out there.

Happy vibing!

Becky

Becky V is a Los Angeles native who loves indie bookstores, Broadway musicals, and a good cup of tea. She is passionate about sexual wellness and wants to make the world a better place one orgasm at a time!