
iRobot Roombas
Let’s face it, vacuuming sucks. Throw in some pets or kids and this Sisyphean task can drain your soul. Well, hello Roomba! This robot vacuum does the work for you. These robot vacuums map your house, can tell the kitchen from the dinner room, and will vacuum with a "Hey Google, clean up under the table" voice command. A truly wonderful invention. And if you've been scarred by watching those videos where they smear poop all over the floor, you're worries are (hopefully) over. Roombas are learning how to avoid dog poo. Technological advances are a truly a wonder.
What could happen if something goes wrong?
A few years back iRobot got into a bit of hot water because it appeared they were mapping users' homes with their Roomba robot vacuum cleaners with potential plans to sell that data. Since then, iRobot has stepped up and made it a point to show they don't sell users' personal data about their lives or homes. This is very good. And you can choose to not have map data transmitted to iRobot at all. Yay!.
We appreciate iRobot states in their privacy policy that no data is sold to third-parties and no data will be shared with third-parties without the customer's knowledge or control. They also say they do not share personal data with third parties for commercial or marketing purposes.
Now it seems the biggest thing you have to worry about with your Roomba is it rolling through dog poo on the floor and creating a huge mess. Oh, wait! The new J series Roombas come with what they call P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise). According to the company, the P.O.O.P promise means certain robot vacuums “will steer clear of your pet’s waste as it gets down to its own business. If it doesn’t, we'll replace your robot for free. (for one year)). Roomba accomplishes this poop detection with a camera and artificial intelligence. Does this raise some privacy concerns? Yes. We also like all the measures Roomba takes to protect users like only recognizing a few objects (including poo) and shutting the camera off if it detects a human. Still, if the device were hacked, it’s possible those privacy protections could be circumvented.
What’s the worst that could happen? Well, if your Roomba were hacked, we suppose it could become a mobile camera loose in your house. This probably isn’t likely and you’re probably pretty safe having a Roomba clean up your messes...while avoiding your pet’s messes. Let’s hear it for no more pooptastrophies (their word, not mine)!
Tips to protect yourself
- Use two-factor authentication
- Limit your robot vacuum's data sharing
- Use strong passwords
- Keep your robot vacuum's firmware updated
- If you want data that’s been shared in the past removed from iRobot’s cloud servers, you can contact the company's customer service department to make the removal request.
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: Yes
App: No
Microphone
Device: No
App: No
Tracks location
Device: No
App: Yes
What can be used to sign up?
Yes
Phone
No
Third-party account
No
What data does the company collect?
Personal
Name, email, phone number, address
Body related
Social
How does the company use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?
No known incidents in the last 3 years.
Can this product be used offline?
User-friendly privacy information?
iRobot has several privacy pages explaining its approach to privacy in simple language. It has Roomba-specific FAQs and information available.
Links to privacy information
Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards?
Encryption
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. The Roomba communicates with the iRobot cloud service using encryption. Robot information is stored separately from any customer information to de-identify the robot and its associated data from its owner.
Strong password
Security updates
Manages vulnerabilities
iRobot runs a private bug bounty program, which means that anyone who finds a security issue and discloses it responsibly may get paid. They also hold hacking events to collaborate with the broad security research community.
Privacy policy
Scholarly articles are available about the machine learning used to help Roombas navigate a room and to make recommended cleaning schedules.
Is this AI untrustworthy?
What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?
iRobot uses AI and machine learning to help certain iRobot Roomba robot vacuums and Braava jet robot mops with Smart Mapping capabilities to map and navigate a home.
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