Various sources claim that IQOS, Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI)’s heat-not-burn device, has the ability to collect and store personal data about a user’s daily smoking habits which could be used for marketing purposes, Reuters reported.

Shiro Masaoka, a former project manager who worked at PM Japan and tested the IQOS software, claimed the software application that regulates temperature and the duration of use of the IQOS could be used for marketing purposes, according to the report. Masaoka said that the device stores personal data about the user, such as daily consumption habits and number of puffs, Reuters reported. PMI denied Masaoka’s allegation.
TechInsights Inc., a Canadian company that concentrates on reverse-engineering tech devices, also claimed that the IQOS, which has two microcontroller chips, could store information and send it back to PMI after examining the hardware and components of the device. TechInsight Inc., however, did not inspect the functionality of the device’s software, according to Reuters.
In response to the company’s findings, PMI said, “No data information from the device is linked to a specific consumer, only the device.”
PMI went on to say that the company only uses the stored information to try and fix technical problems with the device, according to the report.