Yes, I think sex robot owners should exercise some healthy concern for their privacy and security when purchasing a sex doll. It is more than likely that future sex robots will be connected to the internet or your smart phone, this will obviously have many benefits for sex robot functionality, however it will also make your sex robot vulnerable to hacking attempts.
On one hand your sex robot will have all the knowledge of the internet. Imagine a lover who can read the entirety of the Kama Sutra in milliseconds, who can exactly reenact your favorite porn scenes, or who you can control remotely to be ready in your favorite outfit when you get home from a long day at work. These are just a sliver of what will be possible when sex robots are connected to the internet.
But the security risks that come with this are troubling as well. Here are my two main security concerns for when sex robots are connected to the internet:
Privacy – Will people be able to spy on us by hacking our sex robots?
Sex robots will be equipped with visual and audio input technologies. If someone were to hack into a sex robot, perhaps they could then see and here everything that our sex robot will.
Safety – Will people be able to hurt us by gaining control of our sex robots?
Sex robots will have metal skeletons and mechanical joints which will allow them to move autonomously. As the quality of robots increases it is quite possible that these robots will be stronger and faster than humans in many ways. If someone were to gain control over the physical movements of a sex doll there is the potential that they could use it to do harm to people.
Given modern cyber-security best practices are followed by sex robot manufacturers, I think the benefit of web connected sex robots will out weigh the potential risks. However…
There have been two events within the past week that raise some concerns about the security of sex robots in the future.
WikiLeaks: Vault 7 CIA Hacking Documents
Source: Wikileaks.com
In the latest release of WikiLeaks we’ve seen alleged CIA documents outlining some of the full hacking capabilities of the CIA. Many of the methods outlined in the documents allow the CIA to activate many of our everyday electronics and communications to spy on their owners.
From WikiLeaks Press Release:
“Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized ‘zero day’ exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation…This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA”
An example of these hacking capabilities include the ability to activate the microphones in smart TVs or the ability to read encrypted text messages on cell phones. From these two examples it is not too far-fetched to imagine a sex robot that can provide visual and audible recordings of their owners activities.
We-Vibe User Data Hacked by Def Con Hackers
Source: BBC.com
The We-Connect app connected to its We-Vibe vibrator, and the data collected was sent back to the company, including details on temperatures, settings and usage.
The We-Connect app allowed users to control the device’s intensity via their mobile phone. It also enabled a user to allow another user to activate the product from afar via Bluetooth technology.
Two hackers at Def Con, a US hacking convention, gave a talk at the August 2016 event called The Internet of Vibrating Things, in which they demonstrated how data is sent from the We-Vibe device to Standard Innovation.
The pair, who go by the names of Goldfisk and Follower, also showed how third parties could intercept the data, or even take control of the vibrator and commit what they called “potentially sexual assault”.
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