 If you got a Roomba for Christmas, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that your product will likely continue to be supported despite the company’s recent bankruptcy filing. The bad news: this Massachusetts-based brand may soon be just another piece of Chinese-owned spy tech. Amazon tried to buy iRobot, the maker of Roomba, in 2021, but that deal was ultimately nixed by the Federal Trade Commission on antitrust grounds. Now, if a judge approves the pending sale of iRobot to Shenzhen Picea Robotics, Roomba will join numerous brands under the ever-expanding surveillance umbrella that many Chinese products represent. Not that China is the sole problem when it comes to protecting the privacy of American consumer data. The United States has no robust privacy laws apart from a few state initiatives, and the data practices of companies like Amazon are a mixed bag. But the Chinese Communist Party doesn't even pretend to care about privacy, instead marketing highly functional (and affordable) electronics capable of gathering all manner of personal information. This ill-fated combination has created a veritable Wild West when it comes to the consumer electronics market. iRobot says Roomba will remain an American brand, a claim that means little when no one is minding the privacy store in the first place. So you can either trust that your data will be treated with care (good luck) or you can try to protect yourself just a bit. According to experts, disconnecting from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will likely disable any advanced features but will not prevent Roomba models from actually cleaning. “Advanced features” in this context mostly mean updates to the app, which Roombas can operate without. And it certainly refers to a data pipeline that goes straight to who-knows-where, replete with maps of your home’s layout and eye-level images of your pets and you playing on the floor. Remember, any connected devices, including vacuum cleaners, can be (and have been) hacked. Apps are black holes for data and privacy anyway. So just press “Clean” and forget it. Comments are closed.
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