Smart TVs & Connected Devices · Home robotics (Roomba) · Data breach
iRobot
Headline
A Roomba maps your home, and some models carry cameras.
Not independently verified. Verification status: Unverified - heuristic first draft. Publish state: draft unverified.
A Roomba maps your home, and some models carry cameras. In 2022 MIT Technology Review published images taken by development Roomba J7 units in 2020 - including a woman on a toilet and a child - that data-labeling contractors working for Scale AI had posted to private social-media groups. iRobot said the units were special test robots whose users had signed consent forms, not consumer products, and cut ties with the vendor. After Amazon's $1.7 billion takeover collapsed in January 2024 under EU antitrust pressure, iRobot went through Chapter 11 and on Jan. 23, 2026 became a private subsidiary of its Chinese contract manufacturer, Shenzhen PICEA Robotics - which now controls the company holding Roomba home-map and device data.
- Severity
- Evidence tierUnassigned
- Claims confirmed
- Last verified2026-10-16
Primary source. www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159167/000115916726000006/irbt-20260122.htm — Unverified - heuristic first draft.
Terms
Arbitration
Not verified this pass
Data sharing
CONFIRMED (2020 capture, 2022 disclosure): images from development Roomba J7 units, including people in private moments, posted online by third-party data labelers. STRUCTURAL: ownership moved to a PRC-based manufacturer in Jan. 2026; privacy policy allows transfer of personal information in a business transaction and sharing with group companies; app lets users choose not to transmit map data.
Fees and billing
None found this pass.
Contacts
Privacy contact. Not recorded.
Legal notice. iRobot Corporation, 8 Crosby Drive, Bedford, MA 01730 (last SEC EDGAR business address; may have changed post-acquisition). Registered agent not verified this pass.
Mailing address. Not recorded.
Evidence
No claims have been itemized for this row yet.
Sources
| Source | Claim | Tier | Status | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigative news · 2022-12-19 www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/19/1065306/roomba-irobot-robot-vacuums-artificial-intelligence-training-data-privacy/ | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “special development robots with hardware and software modifications that are not and never were present on iRobot consumer products for purchase” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| News report · 2024-01-29 techcrunch.com/2024/01/29/irobot-and-amazon-call-it-quits-terminate-acquisition-agreement/amp/ | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “no path to regulatory approval in the European Union” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| SEC filing (8-K) · 2026-01-26 www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159167/000115916726000006/irbt-20260122.htm | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “The Court confirmed the Plan on January 22, 2026.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Company privacy policy · 2024-11-06 www.irobot.com/en_US/privacy-policy.html | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “iRobot will never sell your information.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Wikipedia (lead source) · 2026-10-16 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRobot | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “iRobot terminated its relationship with Scale AI following the incident.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
Source vault
Link status: Candidate - not yet fetched
| Document | Last fetch | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy https://www.irobot.com/en_US/privacy-policy.html | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Terms of service No URL recorded | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Website https://www.irobot.com | Not fetched yet | — |
| Primary source https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159167/000115916726000006/irbt-20260122.htm Verification: Unverified - heuristic first draft | Not fetched yet | — |
Enforcement
No enforcement actions are linked to this row.
State statute
No comprehensive state privacy statute on file for MA