1. Teledildonics A legal and ethical analysis Sameer Halai

2. Introduction to Teledildonics The main motivation of teledildonics is to enable sexual interactions over the internet It’s current realizations consist of sex toys which can be controlled remotely via the internet There are many commercial companies today which sell teledildonic products

3. Understanding the Technology How does Teledildonics work today?

4. Telerobotics We first need to understand Telerobotics Telerobotics means controlling a robotic device through a network connection like telephone or internet. An example of Telerobotics is “remote bomb detonators”. These are robots that can be sent to dangerous terrain through the safety of a control room. E.g. http://ranier.oact.hq.nasa.gov/telerobotics_p age/realrobots.html http://ranier.oact.hq.nasa.gov/telerobotics_p age/realrobots.html

5. Teledildonics Teledildonics is such remote control of sex toys. A teledildonic device is actually a regular powered sex toy that can be controlled over the internet The controller can control the parameters of the toy like vibration intensities etc. The specific details of the teledildonic session depends on the source of purchase of the teledildonic device e.g. Sinulator, Slashdong etc

6. Sinulator Sinulate Entertainment is a commercial company that makes teledildonic devices (Sinulator) It provides a wireless teledildonic device to customers Customers pay a monthly fee to use the remote control service which is a web- interface Sinulate also provides “3D sex fantasy games” Tagline: “The safest way to have a spontaneous encounter”

7. Second Life Second Life is an online virtual world People assume 3D avatars and socialize with each other in this virtual world http://www.secondlife.com Second Life is hugely successful and people are making real money in it On October 18, 2006 the population hit 1 million residents At any given time, there are tens of thousands logged in

8. Second Life and Teledildonics A lot of work is happening now to interface teledildonic devices with Second Life This will translate into a more real experience qDot Bunnyhug has invented devices like “Sexcercise” and “Sexbox” which interface teledildonic devices with games

9. qDot’s Talk at SLCC SLCC: Second Life Community Convention 18-20 August 2006 San Francisco, USA “Sex and Relationships in Second Life”

10. The Stakeholders Who is affected by this?

11. Users Users of teledildonic devices and sex toys in general Users of online virtual environments like Second Life and World of Warcraft Users of online adult entertainment services Children who may be exposed to these technologies

12. Companies Companies like Sinulator have invested a lot of money in developing a framework for Teledildonic devices They offer subscription services for usage of these devices (as high as $25 per month) Adult online entertainment companies have traditionally used webcams but are moving towards teledildonic devices Telecom companies – IP traffic Open source groups like Slashdong and Open Dildonics Project

13. Society This technology adds more gravity to online adulterous relationships It adds more intensity as opposed to regular chat or video It introduces a non-standard sexual interaction and can affect the moral values of society as a whole The concepts of intimacy & specialness of physical proximity are being challenged

14. Professionals Legal professionals Intellectual groups like CHI

15. Aspects How is this technology used?

16. Users Sinulator is the most used teledildonic device Users pay a monthly fee Sinulator provides the “remote control” which is a web-interface Privacy Policy states that they fully protect the anonymity of the user Users just provides their handle name to the person whom they want to pass control A Teledildonic session is generally combined with a telephone call and webcam session Demo: http://www.sinulator.com/TechTV.htmlhttp://www.sinulator.com/TechTV.html

17. Sinulator Network A new ring of online adult entertainment companies are a part of the Sinulator Network http://www.sinulatorcams.com/ They offer live webcam sessions with models who are tipped money by “clients” These models have teledildonic devices which a “client” can take control of in exchange for a payment

18. Legal and Ethical issues The hard questions this technology raises

19. Policies There are no special policies for regulating these devices and the services they spawn Falls under the same laws as regular online pornographic and entertainment networks Involves a physical device that interacts with the human body in non-standard ways; not just a “toy” Data retention policies not clearly stated by the companies through which the session traffic travels

20. Laws There is nothing illegal with the technology There is nothing illegal with the services architecture being built around this technology This interaction challenges held concepts of rape and sexual abuse Can a teledildonic session be considered equivalent to intercourse? How does this change interpretations of child abuse?

21. Ethics … This seems to violate the basic ethical policy of “Do no Harm” Also violates ACM moral imperatives for “contribution to society and human well- being” No psychological studies done to study the effects of this technology Traditional online interactions have been linked to increased risky sexual behavior Can result in addiction

22. … Ethics Principal of “Education” is violated since no disclaimer is provided about the possible risks Moral corruption due to unnatural interfaces and desensitization of intimacy and sexual relationships

23. Human Development Levels A consideration of the development levels of the players

24. Users There doesn’t seem to be any consistency in development levels of the users of this technology Earlier research seems to imply the users might have high-risk sexual behavior Usage of teledildonics is the same as usage of a standalone vibrator In North America, sex toys are a $500-million a year industry This technology can hamper with normal growth if a user is very young

25. Technologists The companies involved in this technology view this as a very lucrative business The organizations which are working on open source implementations care about the keeping sexual interactions non- proprietary A motivation for non-profit involvement in this technology is for “supporting distance relationships and aiding handicapped people in realizing their fantasies” - qDot

26. Recommendations What needs to be done

27. Find out more The global community needs to study these interactions in more detail Psychological studies should be conducted to understand the short term and long term impacts of these technologies

28. Instructions to stakeholders The users of these technologies should be educated about the possible harm this can cause Companies selling these services should include a warning about the possible effects

29. Regulation These technologies should have some form of regulation We need to answer the legal questions raised This will help in forming new guidelines for regulating these technologies

30. Thank You