According to the daily mail, iQOS is meant to be able to collect personal data about users’ smoking habits, saying the tobacco giant has established a database of iQOS customers registered in the company.
The company has developed a software application that can extract information about users’ smoking rules from the iQOS device and use it for marketing purposes when users plug them into the USB charging system. Data collected included daily number of aspirated and average consumption.
TechInsights, Ottawa, Canada, is a company specializing in reverse engineering technology and equipment. The company investigated the internal structure of iQOS and pointed out to the Reuters that iQOS is equipped with two microcontroller chips, one of which is responsible for upgrading the device to support the storage and use of information and then send it back to the philipmo company.
From the chip product description, the data may include detailed information, such as the number of times the user sucked, and the number of times a person smokes on the designated date. The company inspected hardware and components, and did not test the software function.
“The software that controls temperature and time in the device” is not used for marketing purposes, “the company said.” the data in the device is not related to a particular consumer, only related to the device. ”
Gregory Connolly, a professor at the Northeastern University in Boston, studied iQOS technology and patents, saying that the ability of Philo international to collect user data can bring a significant advantage.
Related product details： https://www.pmi.com/science-and-innovation/heated-tobacco-products
