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A Labour MP has warned "you can hack a dildo" in a stark bid to stop 'smart' devices becoming a gift to cyber-criminals.

Chi Onwurah, a former electrical engineer, said the rise of web-connected toys could allow unwitting users to give away a lot more than they think.

'Long-distance' sex toys can be operated by people's partners, using a smartphone as a remote control, from hundreds of miles away.

One website which boasts "feel your partner's touch in a whole new way" promises its toys are fully encrypted.

But last year the company behind the We-Vibe sex toy was ordered to pay a fine of over £3million after shipping a "smart vibrator" that tracked customers' usage without their knowledge or consent.

Separately, security researchers also claim they managed to hack their way into a different manufacturer's sex toy, this time with a camera embedded in the tip.

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Shadow science minister Ms Onwurah said there was a gap in the law that should be closed - and it doesn't just apply to sex toys.

She wants manufacturers to be legally required to upgrade security on household 'smart' devices so they all meet a commonly agreed standard.

This, she says, would create a level playing field.

Ms Onwurah said she has been trying to make people aware of threats posed by the "internet of things" since 2011.

But when she first warned of a "walk-by dildo hacking", in October last year, people's ears pricked up more than before.

Today she told The Times: "Electric toothbrushes, fridges, doorbells, dildos - anything with the word ‘smart’ that communicates with the rest of the world can be hacked.

“You can hack a dildo, and when you’ve hacked that device, it’s more than violating your privacy; it’s violating your security.”

(Image: We-Vibe)

Ms Onwurah made no secret of the fact that talking about dildos was a way to draw attention to the issue.

She told the Mirror: "It's sad that talking about sex toys gets more attention than the similar - or greater - issues associated with smart cars, TVs and fluffy toys!"

The Newcastle Central MP now wants to see her seat become a "centre of secure Internet of Things innovation".

Standard Innovation, the company behind the We-Vibe vibrator, said at the time of the fine last year: "We take customer privacy and data security seriously.

"We have 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 enhance the app."