Can Robot Vacuums Take Pictures of You?

Your vacuum can take photos. Strangers have seen them.

In 2020, test versions of iRobot's Roomba J7 photographed homes from floor level. The images were sent to Scale AI, a startup that contracts workers around the world to label photos and videos used to train artificial intelligence. Some of those gig workers posted screenshots in private Facebook and Discord groups. One image showed a woman on the toilet (MIT Technology Review, Dec. 19, 2022).

iRobot confirmed that the images were captured by its Roombas in 2020. The company said these were "special development robots with hardware and software modifications that are not and never were present on iRobot consumer products for purchase," and that they were given to "paid collectors and employees" who signed written agreements. iRobot also said it had shared over 2 million images with Scale AI and other data annotation platforms.

Some participants who provided the test robots later said they felt misled. "The agreements shared with us never explicitly mention that personal images will be seen and analyzed by other humans," MIT Technology Review reported in a follow-up investigation in January 2023.

In 2024, a separate security issue emerged. Researchers at the Def Con security conference demonstrated that some Ecovacs robot vacuums and lawn mowers could be hacked over Bluetooth to surreptitiously switch on cameras and microphones remotely, from as far away as 450 feet (around 130 meters), according to TechCrunch (Aug. 9, 2024). Ecovacs released security updates in November 2024.

If your robot vacuum has a camera, here's what you can do now.

#How to turn off Obstacle Image Review (iRobot)

If you have a Roomba with a camera, you can turn off Obstacle Image Review in the iRobot Home app. When you turn it off, your robot will still avoid obstacles, but it won't capture or send images to iRobot.

Here's how:

1. Open the iRobot Home app
2. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner
3. Go to Account, then Privacy
4. Select Map Features, then choose your robot
5. Turn off Obstacle Image Review

According to iRobot Support, if you opt out, "your robot will still be able to avoid obstacles." If your images are not contributed, "your encrypted images are automatically deleted from our servers after 30 days" (iRobot Support, article 31163).

#Leave "Contribute to Database" unchecked

When you review obstacle images in the app, each image has a checkbox labeled "Contribute to Database." If you check this box, you're allowing iRobot's development teams to view and use that specific image. If you keep the box unchecked, the image remains encrypted and is automatically deleted from iRobot's servers after 30 days (iRobot Support, article 30949).

#Update your firmware (any brand)

For Ecovacs owners, the security issue researchers found in 2024 has been patched. Ecovacs released security updates for affected X2, X5, and T30 series models in November 2024. "Users can complete the fix by performing the system update," according to Ecovacs' security advisory (Ecovacs DSA 20241119).

For any robot vacuum with a camera, make sure you install firmware updates when they're available. Updates often fix security vulnerabilities and improve privacy protections.

#What happened with the test Roombas

The images that appeared in online groups came from special test robots, not consumer units. iRobot said these were development versions of the Roomba J7 series with hardware and software modifications that are not present in products sold to the public.

The company gave these test robots to paid collectors and employees who signed written agreements. The images were then sent to Scale AI, where gig workers around the world labeled the photos to train AI models that help the robots recognize objects.

The issue was that some of those gig workers posted the images to private groups on Facebook, Discord, and elsewhere. The images included household scenes captured from low angles, including the image of a woman on the toilet that MIT Technology Review reported.

#Some testers said they felt misled

In January 2023, MIT Technology Review published a follow-up investigation based on interviews with participants and copies of the agreements they signed. The publication reported that "the participants feel misled" and that "the agreements shared with us never explicitly mention that personal images will be seen and analyzed by other humans."

iRobot's position remained that the participants had signed agreements, but the testers said the language in those agreements did not clearly explain that photos from inside their homes, including potentially embarrassing or sensitive images, would be viewed by human workers.

#The Ecovacs security issue

The Ecovacs issue was different. It wasn't about data sharing. It was about a vulnerability that could let attackers take control of the robots remotely.

At the Def Con security conference in August 2024, researchers Dennis Giese and Braelynn Luedtke demonstrated that they could "hack the robots via Bluetooth and surreptitiously switch on microphones and cameras remotely," according to TechCrunch. The hack could work from as far away as 450 feet (around 130 meters).

Ecovacs released security updates for the affected models. The company's advisory, published November 19, 2024, credits Giese, Luedtke, and researcher Anderson for reporting the vulnerability. The updates fix a "BLE RCE" (Bluetooth Low Energy remote code execution) vulnerability.

ABC News (Australia) ran a demonstration in October 2024 under the headline "We hacked a robot vacuum — and could watch live through its camera."

#What to do if you're concerned

If you own a robot vacuum with a camera and you're concerned about privacy:

• Turn off Obstacle Image Review in the iRobot Home app if you have a Roomba, or check your brand's app for similar settings
• Leave "Contribute to Database" unchecked for any images you review
• Install firmware updates when they're available
• Read the privacy policy for your robot vacuum and its app
• Disable features you don't use, especially if they involve sharing data with the manufacturer

The test Roomba images from 2020 came from development units that were not sold to consumers, but the incident shows how images from robot vacuums can end up being viewed by people you don't know. The Ecovacs security issue shows that even without data sharing, vulnerabilities can let attackers access cameras and microphones on connected devices.

If your robot vacuum has a camera, it can see what's on your floor. Now you know who else might see it.

#Sources

• MIT Technology Review, Eileen Guo, "A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?" (December 19, 2022): technologyreview.com/2022/12/19/1065306/roomba-irobot-robot-vacuums-artificial-intelligence-training-data-privacy/
• MIT Technology Review, Eileen Guo, "Roomba testers feel misled after intimate images ended up on Facebook" (January 10, 2023): technologyreview.com/2023/01/10/1066500/roomba-irobot-robot-vacuum-beta-product-testers-consent-agreement-misled/
• TechCrunch, Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, "Ecovacs home robots can be hacked to spy on their owners, researchers say" (August 9, 2024): techcrunch.com/2024/08/09/ecovacs-home-robots-can-be-hacked-to-spy-on-their-owners-researchers-say/
• ABC News (Australia), "We hacked a robot vacuum — and could watch live through its camera" (October 4, 2024): abc.net.au/news/2024-10-04/robot-vacuum-hack-demonstration/104419070
• Ecovacs Security Advisory, "Bluetooth Low Energy Remote Code Execution" (November 19, 2024): ecovacs.com/global/userhelp/dsa20241119
• iRobot Support, "What is Obstacle Image Review opt-in?": homesupport.irobot.com/s/article/31163
• iRobot Support, "Contribute to Database": homesupport.irobot.com/s/article/30949

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