iRobot Root
Toys & Games Best Of STEM/Coding Learning Kits

iRobot Root

iRobot
Bluetooth

Review date: Nov. 8, 2021

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Mozilla researched 6 hours
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Mozilla says

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People voted: Somewhat creepy

iRobot, the maker of the popular Roomba robot vacuum cleaners, also makes a coding robot for kids six and up! Who knew? Their Root robot kits—they have two—let's kids learn to code by programming the robots to drive, turn, draw, light-up, play music, express itself, and more. These kits are good for multiple coding skill levels—from coding with graphical blocks to actually using full-text code. It's very cool to see iRobot—a company we like because they seem to take protecting their users' privacy seriously—make these learning robots for kids.

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.

We appreciate that they state 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. This is all great.. All in all, these learning robots feel pretty safe, and fun, for your kids.

Tips to protect yourself

  • Keep your WiFi network password protected with a strong password.
mobile Privacy Security A.I.

Can it snoop on me? information

Camera

Device: No

App: No

Microphone

Device: No

App: No

Tracks location

Device: No

App: Yes

What can be used to sign up?

What data does the company collect?

How does the company use this data?

iRobot does not share personal data with third parties for commercial or marketing purposes. iRobot does not sell personal data.

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, iRobot do not collect any education records. Student activities and progress are only stored locally on the device.

iRobot permits third parties to develop apps and tools that interact with their Robots and Service, including, for example, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. If you choose to integrate a third-party app or service with Robots or iRobot Service, they will permit the third party to collect information from your Robot and App necessary to power the integration. Please note that iRobot does not control the data collection and use practices of these third parties. You should carefully review the third-party privacy policy and other documents before connecting your Robot or the Apps to the third-party service.

How can you control your data?

You can choose not to have map data transmitted to iRobot.

Personal data is deleted within 30 days of a customer's request. Usage data is stored in a de-identified database (completely separated from identifiable customer information), and is rendered fully anonymized upon customer account deletion, as all personal data is deleted during that process.

What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?

Average

No known incidents in the last 3 years.

Can this product be used offline?

Yes

User-friendly privacy information?

Yes

iRobot has several privacy pages explaining its approach to privacy in simple language.

Links to privacy information

Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards? information

Yes

Encryption

Yes

Strong password

Yes

Security updates

Yes

Manages vulnerabilities

Yes

Privacy policy

Yes

Does the product use AI? information

Can’t Determine

Is this AI untrustworthy?

N/A

What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?

Is the company transparent about how the AI works?

Can’t Determine

Does the user have control over the AI features?

Can’t Determine

News

Your Roomba May Be Mapping Your Home, Collecting Data That Could Be Shared
New York Times
High-end models of Roomba, iRobot’s robotic vacuum, collect data as they clean, identifying the locations of your walls and furniture. This helps them avoid crashing into your couch, but it also creates a map of your home that iRobot could share with Amazon, Apple or Google.

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