OTTOWA, Canada—Standard Innovation Corp. last week settled a multi-million dollar lawsuit that alleged privacy violations of its customers, and sent a letter to partners explaining the details of the settlement.
The makers of the We-Vibe family of products settled for $3.75 million: about $3 million will go to users of the app, while the remaining $750,000 will go to people who purchased the app-controlled vibrator.
The woman who filed the suit and a co-plaintiff will each be awarded $5,000.
The suit claimed the We-Connect app—which is used by some We-Vibe products, but not all—monitored and recorded how consumers use the device in real-time, and alleged the app tracked personal details such as the date and time of each use of the vibe and the app, the chosen vibration intensity and pattern and the email addresses of users who have registered within the app.
Company officials sent the following letter to partners today:
“You’ve likely seen media coverage related to the settlement of a US class action lawsuit naming Standard Innovation. We have agreed to settle this case so that we can focus on the business of designing and creating products. We maintain that our data practices comply with applicable laws, and that there was no wrongdoing in this case. We’d like to provide you with more information for your customers.
We take customer privacy and data security seriously. It’s important to let consumers know that there has been no compromise of We-Vibe users’ personal information or data.
In September, we responded rapidly to concerns about We-Connect app privacy and security. We enhanced our privacy notice, increased app security, provided customers more choice in the data they share, and we continue to work with leading privacy and security experts to improve the app. More details of these changes are available on our website.
As with many apps, certain limited data is required for the app to work on an individual’s device. That data is used in an aggregate and anonymous form that does not personally identify any individual We-Connect app users. Consumers may also choose to use We-Vibe products without the app. You can direct customers to our app Privacy Notice for more information on our privacy and data practices.
The lawsuit is US-based, and the settlement applies to individuals in the United States. The Court has appointed a third-party Settlement Administrator. The Settlement Administrator is responsible for posting a website with information about the settlement and for processing claims. You can direct consumers seeking more information to SICclassactionsettlement.com. We expect the website to be live no later than March 21, 2017.
The settlement covers two groups or classes. The Purchaser Class is for anyone in the United States who bought any of the following Bluetooth-enabled We-Vibe vibrators before September 26, 2016: We-Vibe Classic, We-Vibe 4 Plus, We-Vibe 4 Plus App Only, Rave by We-Vibe and Nova by We-Vibe products. The App Class includes anyone in the United States who downloaded the We-Connect application and used it to control one of the above listed products before September 26, 2016.
We value our business partners and thank you for your continued support.”
