iRobot® does not sell data, as our customers always come first. We will never violate their trust by selling or misusing customer-related data, including data collected by our connected products. Right now, the data the robot collects enables it to effectively clean the home and provides customers with information about cleaning performance. iRobot believes that in the future, this information could provide even more value for our customers by enabling the smart home and the devices within it to work better, but always with their knowledge and control.
What happens to my data if I sell or give my Wi-Fi Connected Robot to someone else?
When
giving away or selling your Wi-Fi Connected Robot to someone else, it is best to ensure all personal data and account association have been removed from the robot.
- The best way to perform a factory reset of the robot is through the iRobot® HOME app.
- Open the app then click on
Settings > Factory Reset (robot name) - Please note that diagnostic and lifetime data will remain on the robot once a factory reset is performed.
Does iRobot® sell customer data or the information gathered by your products?
iRobot® will not sell customer data. We hope the information gathered by Roomba® will provide value to devices in the smart home, and nothing will be shared without the knowledge or control of our customers.
What, if any, other information does my robot collect and send back to iRobot® currently?
- The Roomba® 900 Series, i Series, j Series, and s Series Robot Vacuums, and the Braava jet® m Series Robot Mop capture mapping and navigation information via VSLAM, which stays on the robot. On all Wi-Fi-connected robots, usage data (e.g. how long did it clean, how far did it go, did it encounter any error codes, is it functioning correctly) can be sent to the Cloud so it can be shown on the customer's mobile device. Images used for navigation are NOT sent to the Cloud.
- If a user agrees to have their map data viewable on their mobile device, then the map that the Roomba® creates during a cleaning job is sent to the Cloud, where it is processed and simplified to produce a user-friendly map that ultimately appears in the iRobot® HOME App.
Does your privacy policy currently allow for iRobot® to transfer or sell this data? Will this policy change if iRobot becomes part of Amazon?
- No data is sold to third parties. No data will be shared with third parties without the customer's knowledge or control. iRobot®'s privacy policy allows customers to share data with third parties for the customer's benefit if they so choose. For example, customers can currently choose to share limited data to enable voice control of the robot using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The data would be limited to only the data required to enable the voice control service.
- I'm sure you may have any questions surrounding privacy and data sharing after the news of Amazon's planned acquisition of iRobot. Per iRobot co-founder and CEO Colin Angle, the company's dedication to maintaining customer privacy will not change. Here is a statement from him on the matter: "At iRobot, product security, and customer privacy are of utmost importance. We know that customers welcome us into their homes because they trust that our products will help them do more, and that we will respect their information. We take that trust seriously. Once we are acquired by Amazon, our commitment to customer data and privacy will remain.”
If iRobot® does receive data from consumers' robots, will iRobot® delete that data from its servers if a customer requests it?
iRobot® will delete the data from our servers at the request of a customer.
Would consumers be able to decline to have their data shared with their mobile devices?
Roomba® consumers can decline to have their data shared. Customers need not connect a Wi-Fi-connected Roomba® to the internet for it to work - it can work in offline mode with no internet or Cloud connectivity. Roomba® users can opt out of sending map data to the Cloud through a switch in the mobile app.
Is the data collected via my robot anonymized? If not, which data is not anonymized?
Wi-Fi-connected Robot usage data (e.g., how long did it clean, how far did it go, did it encounter any error codes, is it functioning correctly) is sent to the Cloud so it can be shown on your mobile device. Usage data collected via the robot is not anonymized, but it is encrypted and stored securely. The customer or iRobot® customer support can access this information and error codes to help a customer use and sometimes diagnose their robot. Customers can also choose to share their data with third parties such as Amazon and Google to enable voice control by linking their iRobot® account to their Amazon or Google account.
Does my robot save the data on where each home has areas of high debris? Does it send that data back to iRobot®? Or is that information just processed in real time and erased?
iRobot Roomba® 900 Series and i Series, j Series, s Series Robot Vacuums, and the Braava jet® m Series Robot Mop build a map of a home as they clean. Clean Map™ reports make these maps visible to customers in the iRobot® HOME App after a cleaning job is complete, showing the total area and duration of a Roomba® 900 Series, i Series, j Series, or s Series vacuum cleaned — for up to 30 cleaning jobs. Leveraging Dirt Detect™ - an iRobot patented feature only found on Robot vacuuming robots – Clean Map™ reports also provide users with information about where the robot encounters higher concentrations of dirt or debris. If a customer chooses to send map data to the Cloud, Dirt Detect™ events are stored in the Cloud and sent to the App when the Clean Map™ is rendered.
Does iRobot delete dormant data?
iRobot periodically will delete dormant robot data if the robot has not been used in over a year. To prevent the removal of your data, please make sure you run a mission on your robot while it's connected, once every few months.
Does my robot need to be connected to the internet to function correctly? If you never set up an internet connection, what functionality would a consumer lose?
Customers with Wi-Fi-connected Robot Vacuums and Robot Mops are not required to connect to the Cloud to use their robot. The robot can be used in offline mode with no connection to the internet or Cloud. Customers with Wi-Fi-connected Robot vacuums and Robot Mops who do not connect them to the internet will not be able to access certain features, like scheduled cleanings, customized cleaning features, Clean Map™ reports, and connections to voice control systems like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Which iRobot® robots create home mapping data?
Roomba® 900 Series, i Series, and s Series Robot Vacuums and Braava jet® m Series Robot Mops customers benefit from VSLAM navigation and mapping.
What data does my robot currently capture? Is it being sent back to the connected device?
The Roomba® 900 Series and i Series and s Series Robot Vacuums and Braava jet® m Series Robot Mops capture mapping and navigation information via VSLAM, which stays on the robot. Some usage data (e.g., how long did it clean, how far did it go, did it encounter any error codes, is it functioning correctly) is sent to the Cloud, so it can be shown on your mobile device. The robot does not send images used for navigation to the Cloud. If a user agrees to have their map data viewable on their mobile device, then the map that the robot creates during a cleaning job is sent to the Cloud, where it is processed and simplified to produce a user-friendly map that ultimately appears in the iRobot® HOME App.
If I choose to opt out of letting iRobot® sell data collected through the devices, would they still get access to smart home functions?
iRobot® will not sell customer data. If a customer is concerned about sharing information with their mobile device, they can opt out of sending map data to the Cloud through a switch in the mobile app. If the users opt out of communicating this data, they would still be able to access smart home functions, such as voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
I understand that mapping data collected by my robot could be used to power "smart home" technologies. Can you give some examples of services you could provide in the short term and ones you would envision becoming possible in the long term?
In the short term, your robot is already linked to both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so that customers can control their robot with voice commands. Looking ahead, iRobot® believes robots and the mapping capabilities they provide will be vital in enabling the smart home. For some context, we often use the concept of rooms as an organizing concept. Rooms have lighting, TVs, stereos, heating, blinds, and other appliances. When we think about “what is supposed to happen” when I enter a room, everything depends on the room at a foundational level, knowing what is in it. To “do the right thing” when you say “turn on the lights,” the room must know what lights it must turn on. It is the same thing for music, TV, heat, blinds, the stove, coffee machines, fans, gaming consoles, smart picture frames, or robot pets. Understanding spatial context is the necessary foundation for the true smart home, and maps can provide this.
How would home IoT devices and smart home gadgets, like Alexa or Nest Cam benefit from this data?
As we live our lives at home, we often use the concept of rooms as an organizing concept. Rooms have lighting, TVs, stereos, heating, blinds, and other appliances. When we think about “what is supposed to happen” when I enter a room, everything depends on the room at a foundational level, knowing what is in it. To “do the right thing” when you say “turn on the lights,” the room must know what lights it must turn on. It is the same thing for music, TV, heat, blinds, the stove, coffee machines, fans, gaming consoles, smart picture frames, or robot pets. Understanding spatial context is the necessary foundation for the true smart home.
What is the best mechanism for owners to reach out to iRobot® to ask you to delete their data?
If a customer wishes to delete their account, they should visit Delete my iRobot account.
If a robot owner opts out of Clean Map™ Report sharing, are they also opting out of iRobot® sharing this data? And does this opt-out retroactively apply to any data previously shared?
iRobot® will not sell customer data. iRobot® is committed to the absolute privacy of our customer-related data, including data collected by our connected products. No data is sold to third parties. No data will be shared with third parties without the customer's knowledge or control. Clean Map™ Reports are not shared with third parties. If a customer had already signed up/opted-in, iRobot® would delete the data from our servers if a customer requested it. Deleting the data is retroactive.
To put it differently, what steps can a robot owner take if they already opted into Clean Map™ Reports, but don't want iRobot® to have the option of sharing those reports with a third party, such as Amazon?
Clean Map™ Reports are not shared with third parties.
*As of 8/17/2021, all new iRobot accounts are required to verify their email address as a way to further protect your information.
