Fact Check: Yes, photos taken by Roomba robot vacuums made their way online in 2020
In 2020, photos of people inside their homes taken by Roomba robot vacuums appeared on social media.
Rating:
Context:
The Roombas in question were not commercially available — they were development robots given to testers. However, several researchers have uncovered privacy issues with robot vacuums produced by several different manufacturers.
In December 2022, MIT Technology Review published an article, titled, "A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?" The article explained exactly what its headline stated — that in 2020, photos taken by Roomba robot vacuums, some of which could be viewed as potentially compromising, made their way onto Facebook.
A viral video posted to Facebook in May 2025 re-upped interest in the story, and Snopes readers searched the site wondering if it was true. It was.
The story was published in a highly trusted magazine, cited several security experts, and included a comment from iRobot, the manufacturer of the Roomba, confirming that the images found online were taken on Roomba robots in 2020. Snopes reached out to iRobot for comment on the story. A spokesperson directed us to the MIT Technology Review article.
According to a statement from iRobot in the article, the photos in question were not taken by commercially available Roombas, however. Instead, they were from "special development robots with hardware and software modifications that are not and never were present on iRobot consumer products for purchase"; owned by "paid collectors and employees," who the company said signed agreements acknowledging that the robots would be capturing photos and videos for training; and that featured a "bright green sticker that read 'video recording in progress.'"
According to the story, the vacuums took pictures of their surroundings for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models. In order for a robot to understand what it's looking at, however, a human first needs to tell the robot what various objects are. iRobot outsourced that work to a company called ScaleAI, which contracts workers around the world to look at a photo and label what's in it, according to the article. That's how workers from Venezuela got their hands on the photos and how they made their way onto social media.
MIT Technology Review wrote that iRobot did not allow them to see the consent forms, and the company did not allow reporters to speak with any of the employees or paid collectors. In a follow-up story, however, several individuals who tested the special robots told MIT Technology Review they felt misled by the consent agreement they signed and were concerned about how iRobot used their data.
It is important to note that in this case, the robots were not commercially available, and whether or not iRobot breached its data privacy agreement, the robots were labeled as being able to take photo and video. IRobot's privacy policy contains the following section on how it uses data from Roombas:
Some of our devices are equipped with "smart technology" that can wirelessly send us data. These devices include, but are not limited to:
If you have one of these devices, we may collect information about your:
This data is stored in a deidentified state (separated from identifiable information).
But because most robot vacuums connect to Wi-Fi, have cameras (and some have speakers and/or microphones), there are several valid security concerns about robot vacuums — give experienced hackers enough time and they'll probably find a way to get into a system.
In 2020, for instance, researchers at the University of Maryland were able to record audio using a "laser-based navigation system" that vacuum robots use to determine where objects are.
More recently, Dennis Giese, an independent researcher who tears down and hacks robot vacuums in his spare time, helped the Australian Broadcasting Corporation hack into an Ecovacs Deebot X2 in 2024 — earlier that year, according to a separate ABC article, several Ecovacs robots were hacked in cities across America, and shouted racial slurs at their owners.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wUsM0Mlenc. Accessed 9 May 2025.
"A Roomba Recorded a Woman on the Toilet. How Did Screenshots End up on Facebook?" MIT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/19/1065306/roomba-irobot-robot-vacuums-artificial-intelligence-training-data-privacy/. Accessed 9 May 2025.
"Could Your Vacuum Be Listening to You?" Maryland Today, 18 Nov. 2020, https://today.umd.edu/could-your-vacuum-be-listening-you-26e8f802-1e1f-4d11-ad18-a397cf860c94.
Dennis's Homepage. https://dontvacuum.me/. Accessed 9 May 2025.
Giese, Dennis. Vacuum Robot Security and Privacy. 2023. media.ccc.de, https://media.ccc.de/v/camp2023-57158-vacuum_robot_security_and_privacy.
"Hackers Take Control of Robot Vacuums in Multiple US Cities and Abuse Owners." ABC News, 10 Oct. 2024. www.abc.net.au, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-11/robot-vacuum-yells-racial-slurs-at-family-after-being-hacked/104445408.
Pringle, Eleanor. "A Roomba Photographed a Woman on the Toilet and It Ended up on Social Media." Fortune, https://fortune.com/2023/01/18/artificial-intelligence-in-our-homes-roomba-photographed-woman-on-toilet-posted-on-social-media/. Accessed 9 May 2025.
Privacy Policy | iRobot. https://www.irobot.com/en_US/legal/privacy-policy.html#bookmark23. Accessed 9 May 2025.
"Roomba Testers Feel Misled after Intimate Images Ended up on Facebook." MIT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/10/1066500/roomba-irobot-robot-vacuum-beta-product-testers-consent-agreement-misled/. Accessed 9 May 2025.
"The World's Largest Home Robotics Company Has a Problem – Its Vacuum Cleaners Can Be Hacked from Afar." ABC News, 3 Oct. 2024. www.abc.net.au, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-04/robot-vacuum-hacked-photos-camera-audio/104414020.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Business News
4 hours ago
- Time Business News
Japan used to be a tech giant. Why is it stuck with fax machines and ink stamps?
Japan's Tech Paradox: Futuristic Aesthetics vs. Outdated Realities: In movies like 'Akira' and 'Ghost in the Shell,' intelligent robots and holograms populate a futuristic Japan, and neon-lit skyscrapers and the city's famed bullet train system come to mind. But there's a more mundane side of Japan that you won't find anywhere in these cyberpunk films. It involves personalized ink stamps, floppy disks, and fax machines—relics that have long since disappeared in other advanced nations but have stubbornly persisted in Japan. The delay in digital technology and subsequent bureaucracy are, for everyday residents, at best inconvenient, and at worst make you want to tear your hair out. 'Japanese banks are portals to hell,' one Facebook user wrote in a local expat group. A sarcastic commenter said, 'Maybe sending a fax would help,' Japan's Digital Struggles: A Delayed Transformation The scale of the problem became terrifyingly clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the Japanese government struggled to respond to a nationwide crisis with clumsy digital tools. They have launched a dedicated effort to close that gap over the years, including a brand-new Digital Agency and numerous new initiatives. However, they are entering the technology race decades late, 36 years after the World Wide Web was launched and more than 50 years after the first email was sent. Now as the country races to transform itself, the question remains: What took them so long, and can they still catch up? How did they get here? This was not always the case. In the 1970s and 1980s, when companies like Sony, Toyota, Panasonic, and Nintendo became household names, Japan was admired all over the world. The Walkman and games like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. were brought to the world by Japan. But that changed by the turn of the century with the rise of computers and the internet. Why Japan Fell Behind in the Digital Age: According to Daisuke Kawai, director of the University of Tokyo's Economic Security and Policy Innovation Program, 'Japan, with its strengths in hardware, was slow to adapt to software and services' as the world moved toward software-driven economies. He said that a variety of things made the problem worse. As Japan's electronics industry declined, engineers fled to foreign firms as a result of the country's inadequate investment in ICT. As a result, the government lacked skilled tech workers and had low digital literacy. Public services were never properly modernized and remained reliant on paper documents and hand-carved, personalized seals called hanko that are used for identity verification. Over time, various ministries and agencies adopted their own patchwork IT strategies, but there was never a unified government push. There were cultural factors, too. Kawai stated, 'Japanese companies are known for their risk-averse culture, seniority-based… hierarchical system, and a slow, consensus-driven decision-making process that hampered innovation.' And thanks to Japan's plummeting birthrate, it has far more old people than young people. According to Kawai, this large proportion of elderly people had 'relatively little demand or pressure for digital services' and a greater skepticism regarding new technologies and digital fraud. Japan's Digital Transformation: From Fax Machines to the Future Jonathan Coopersmith, emeritus professor of history at Texas A&M University, stated that apathy was widespread. Small businesses and individuals didn't feel compelled to switch from fax machines to computers: Why buy expensive new machinery and learn how to use it, when fax worked fine and everybody in Japan used it anyway? A possible switch would have been too disruptive to everyday services, according to larger businesses and institutions like banks and hospitals. Coopersmith, who wrote a book about the fax machine in 2015 and wrote about Japan's relationship with it, stated, 'The bigger you are, the harder it is to change, especially software.' Additionally, it posed a legal problem. Any new technology necessitates new laws, as demonstrated by the introduction of electric scooters into the road or the attempts made by nations around the world to legislate against deepfakes and AI copyright following the AI boom. Digitizing Japan would have required changing thousands of regulations, Coopersmith estimates – and lawmakers simply had no incentive to do so. After all, digitization isn't necessarily a major factor in voter turnout in elections. 'Why do I want to become part of the digital world if I don't need to?' was how he summed it up. A hanko is stamped on a banking document in an arranged photograph taken in Tokyo, Japan A global pandemic was ultimately necessary to bring about change. Japan's technological gap became evident as national and local authorities became overwhelmed, without the digital tools to streamline their processes. Japan's health ministry launched an online portal for hospitals to report cases instead of handwritten faxes, phone calls, or emails in May 2020, months after the virus began to spread worldwide. And even then, hiccups persisted. Public broadcaster NHK reported that a contact tracing app had a system error that lasted for months but didn't let people know they might be exposed. Many had never used file-sharing services or video tools like Zoom before, making it difficult for them to adjust to working and attending school remotely. In one mind-boggling case in 2022, a Japanese town accidentally wired the entirety of its Covid relief fund – about 46.3 million yen ($322,000) – to just one man's bank account. The confusion stemmed from the bank being given both a floppy disk of information and a paper request form – but by the time authorities realized their error, the man had already gambled away most of the funds, according to NHK. For anyone under 35, a floppy disk is a magnetic memory strip encased in plastic that is physically inserted into a computer. Each one typically stores up to 1.44 MB of data, which is less than the size of an average iPhone photo. The situation became so bad that Takuya Hirai, who would become the country's Minister of Digital Transformation in 2021, once referred to the country's response to the pandemic as a 'digital defeat.' According to Coopersmith, a 'combination of fear and opportunity' led to the birth of the Digital Agency, a division tasked with bringing Japan up to speed. Created in 2021, it launched a series of initiatives including rolling out a smart version of Japan's social security card and pushing for more cloud-based infrastructure. Last July, the Digital Agency finally declared victory in its 'war on floppy disks,' eliminating the disks across all government systems – a mammoth effort that required scrapping more than 1,000 regulations governing their use. But there were growing pains, too. Local media reported that the government once asked the public for their thoughts on the metaverse through a complicated process that required downloading an Excel spreadsheet, entering your information, and sending the document back to the ministry via email. 'The (ministry) will respond properly using an (online) form from now on,' wrote then-Digital Minister Taro Kono on Twitter following the move's social media backlash. Digitization as 'a way to survive' According to Kawai, businesses rushed to follow the government's lead, hiring consultants and contractors to assist in system overhauls. Consultant Masahiro Goto is one example. He has assisted large Japanese companies in all sectors in adapting to the digital world as part of the digital transformation team at the Nomura Research Institute (NRI), designing new business models and implementing new internal systems. He stated to CNN that these clients frequently 'are eager to move forward, but they're unsure how to go about it.' 'Many are still using old systems that require a lot of maintenance, or systems that are approaching end-of-service life. In many cases, that's when they reach out to us for help.' According to Goto, the number of businesses seeking the services of NRI consultants 'has definitely been rising year by year,' particularly over the past five years. As a result, the NRI consultants are in high demand. And for good reason: for years, Japanese companies outsourced their IT needs, meaning they now lack the in-house skills to fully digitize. A sign for cashless payments outside a shop in the trendy Omotesando district of Tokyo. He stated, 'Fundamentally, they want to improve the efficiency of their operations, and I believe they want to actively adopt digital technologies as a means of survival.' 'In the end, Japan's population will continue to fall, so increasing productivity is essential.' According to local media, the Digital Agency's plan to eliminate fax machines within the government received 400 formal objections from various ministries in 2021. There may be resistance in certain pockets. Things like the hanko seal – which are rooted in tradition and custom, and which some parents gift to their children when they come of age – may be harder to phase out given their cultural significance. According to Kawai, the rate of progress is also influenced by the Digital Agency's willingness to push for regulatory reform and the degree to which lawmakers will give digitization top priority when creating future budgets. Additionally, new technologies are advancing rapidly in other regions of the world, and Japan is playing catch-up with shifting targets. Coopersmith stated, 'This is going to be an ongoing challenge because the digital technologies of 2025 will be different from those of 2030, 2035.' But experts are optimistic. Kawai projects that Japan could catch up to some Western peers in five to ten years at this rate. Finally, there is a public demand for it, as more and more businesses are offering new online services and accepting cashless payments. 'People are generally eager to digitize for sure,' said Kawai. 'I'm sure that young people, or the general public, prefer to digitize as fast as possible.' Blogger Profile: Name: Usama Arshad Website link: TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
4 Things That Will Vanish In 20 Years
Some goodbyes hurt more than others. I suspect some things will never die. You'll still see tree-killing junk mail in 2199. You'll still be checking your Facebook in 20 years — unless you uninstall it. The good news: some things are on the way out and we'll all be better off as a result. The war on spam calls has finally begun As usual, the US government has moved with the speed of an iceberg to react to a problem. But they are finally taking action. Mobile providers are required to implement a new anti-spam software called Shaken. It isn't a perfect or final solution. Yet it will slow down the avalanche of calls everyone gets. Yes, those annoying spammers will continue to find ways to circumvent it — but the writing is on the wall: spam calls are ending. Consumer demand has finally gotten the attention of regulators. It'll be 99% gone within 20 years, maybe even 10. You are legally entitled to $500 every time a spam caller calls you after you've asked them to stop calling. Additionally, don't listen to that 'Press x to be added to the Do Not Call list'. Spammers use that to determine if you are a human who will answer — then sell that information to other spammers. The death of Cable TV Older folks still love their cable TV but that will only sustain providers for so long. My local cable company has gone through two buyouts (and name changes) due to bankruptcy in the past 10 years. When I called to cancel my cable, my agent sounded so desperate. It was like the agent's manager was holding a gun to his head. 'S-s-s-s-ir…are…are you sure you want to cancel? H-h-how about a free month of HBO?' People are sick of watching eight minutes of ads for every three minutes of programming. They're tired of the disruptive, loud, head-trauma-inducing car commercials. Don't hold your breath if you think commercials are going away. Product placements are already infiltrating movies. Sometimes it's laughably obvious. The most blatant I've seen was in World War Z when, in the middle of running from zombies, Brad Pitt pauses to drink a Pepsi: I was waiting for Brad to smile at the camera and a Pepsi logo to flash on the screen. We'll still need to pay to escape commercials. I use YouTube Premium and it's easily my favorite add-on service (No. I wasn't paid to say this.) Every YouTube Star You follow The shelf life of an influencer is shorter than a pancake. For example, think of the YouTubers you followed a decade ago. I just thought of three and only one of them is still active — but just barely. Oddly enough, I sat in front of a famous YouTuber in a college class (I'm not naming him because I don't want to put him on blast). We even played Call of Duty together online once or twice a week. He had every opportunity to tell me he was YouTube famous but never did. I found out why when I stumbled across his already-dead channel. He had a famous channel with him and his girlfriend. It was one of those cutesy couple's vlog ('We Finally Moved in Together!!'). The channel was super feminine which is probably why he didn't tell me. As soon as they broke up, that gravy train crashed. His content mill broke and the followers all turned on him and blamed him for the breakup. Internet fame is fleeting. For all their controversy, Logan and Jake Paul made brilliant pivots into other venues. Both are making a fortune with 'professional' boxing. Logan now has a podcast that is wildly popular. And look — it isn't lost upon me that I'm in a similar predicament. I make my living by having visibility online and surviving the algorithm gauntlet. A platform is either dying or getting more competitive. To those like me, diversify and plan for your future. The tides of internet notoriety come and go without mercy. Ageism is even worse online than it is in the office. The vast majority of cryptocurrencies Crypto Bros are better at marketing their crypto than understanding its actual purpose. I know several people who have gone from crypto evangelists to complaining about losing money on those investments. These idiot collectives retweet each other's content to growth hack the algorithm. Then, millions of views later, a bunch of suckers to buy in. Crypto is a religion that spawns its insufferable zealots. The moment you say anything wrong about Poodlecoin, it summons a bunch of yappers to your comment section. Most of them aren't even in it because they believe in the product. It's all for a quick buck. Mark my words — 95% of these cryptos will be gone or flirting with zero in 20 years. There will be a trail of tears along the way. The moment regulators drop the hammer, it's going to smash half of these junk currencies. Invest in an index fund. I will continue to pound the war-drum: buy the S&P 500 Index fund. If you'd bought $8000 in 1980, it'd be worth $1,000,000 today. By the time randoms are telling you to buy something, it is already too late. Recap for memory: things going away in two decades Spam calls. If they aren't gone in 10, I'm starting a political party to end them. Most YouTubers (Content creators — diversify). Cable TV as we know it. Most cryptocurrencies, with a few survivors taking the spoils. Solve the daily Crossword
Time Business News
a day ago
- Time Business News
How Proxy Croxy Helps in Bypassing Geo-Restrictions
In today's digital age, privacy and security on the internet have become more important than ever before. With cyber threats, government surveillance, and restricted websites increasing day by day, internet users are constantly looking for solutions to browse the web safely and freely. One such solution that has gained popularity is Proxy Croxy. It is a simple yet powerful web-based proxy service that allows users to access blocked websites, hide their identity, and maintain full anonymity online. In this detailed guide, we will cover everything you need to know about Proxy Croxy, its benefits, how it works, and why it might be the right choice for your browsing needs. Proxy Croxy is a free and reliable web proxy that helps users bypass internet restrictions and browse any website securely. Unlike traditional proxies that often fail to load complex websites, CroxyProxy is built with modern technology that supports streaming, social media platforms, and even dynamic sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. It allows users to access these platforms without revealing their real IP address, ensuring online privacy and anonymity. When you visit a website directly, your IP address and location are visible to that website and your internet service provider. However, when you use Proxy Croxy, your internet traffic is routed through a proxy server. This server acts as a middleman between your device and the internet. As a result, the websites you visit only see the IP address of the proxy server, not your own. This process not only helps you access blocked websites but also protects your identity online. What makes Proxy Croxy stand out among other proxy services are its unique features: Free and Easy to Use – No complex setup or installation is required. Just visit the CroxyProxy website and start browsing instantly. Supports HTTPS – Your connection remains encrypted, making it difficult for hackers or third parties to track your activities. Access Blocked Content – Whether it's region-restricted websites, social media, or streaming platforms, CroxyProxy allows unrestricted access. Mobile-Friendly – It works seamlessly on both desktop and mobile browsers. Supports YouTube & Streaming – Many proxies fail with video streaming, but Proxy Croxy is designed to handle high-quality video playback without interruption. Anonymous Browsing – By masking your IP, it ensures that your browsing history is hidden from prying eyes. There are several reasons why internet users prefer Proxy Croxy over other proxy services. First and foremost, it is completely free and does not require any technical knowledge. It also provides enhanced security by supporting encrypted connections, making it harder for third parties to monitor your browsing. Additionally, it helps users access their favorite social media platforms, entertainment websites, or news portals even if they are blocked in certain countries. Many people confuse proxies with VPNs, but they are not the same. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts all of your internet traffic and provides a secure tunnel between your device and the internet. It usually requires installing an app or software. On the other hand, Proxy Croxy is a browser-based proxy service that mainly hides your IP address and allows you to access websites anonymously. While VPNs are more secure overall, proxies are faster and easier to use for everyday browsing. If you just want to unblock websites or stream videos anonymously, Proxy Croxy is a convenient and effective solution. Using Proxy Croxy is extremely simple. Here's a step-by-step guide: Open your web browser and go to the official CroxyProxy website. In the search bar provided, type the URL of the website you want to visit. Click on the 'Go' or 'Proxy' button. You will now be redirected to the website through the CroxyProxy server. Browse freely and anonymously without revealing your identity. There is no need to download software, register, or pay for basic services, which makes it highly user-friendly. The advantages of using Proxy Croxy go beyond just unblocking websites. Some of the key benefits include: Bypassing Restrictions – Access websites blocked by your school, workplace, or government. Online Privacy – Protect your identity and personal data from trackers. Safe Public Wi-Fi Browsing – When using public networks, proxies add an extra layer of protection. Social Media Access – Stay connected with friends and family on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram even when they are restricted. Cost-Free Solution – Enjoy anonymous browsing without paying for expensive VPNs. Yes, Proxy Croxy is safe as it supports secure HTTPS connections, which means your data is encrypted. However, users should remember that proxies generally do not provide the same level of security as VPNs. If you need complete encryption for sensitive tasks like online banking, then a VPN might be a better choice. But for streaming, browsing, and social media, CroxyProxy is safe, reliable, and convenient. If you are a digital marketer or SEO expert, Proxy Croxy can be highly beneficial. Sometimes, search engines show different results in different countries. By using Proxy Croxy, you can check how your website ranks in different regions. It also helps in accessing competitor websites that may be restricted in your location, giving you an edge in SEO research. Conclusion Proxy Croxy is a powerful and user-friendly proxy service that makes browsing secure, private, and restriction-free. Whether you want to access blocked websites, stream videos without interruptions, or simply protect your online identity, this tool provides a hassle-free solution. While it may not completely replace a VPN for high-level security, it is an excellent choice for everyday browsing, especially for users who value speed, convenience, and free access. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
