--- title: "Intimate Photos by Roomba Vacuums Leaked Online" description: "RoombaLeaks Your robot vacuums are watching you — and it's possible for the photos and videos to, horrifically, get leaked online. As the MIT Technology Review reports, the aptly-named company iRobot behind the uber-popular Roomba vacuums confirmed that gig workers outside of the US broke a non-disclosure agreement when sharing intimate photos, including one of a […]" date: "2022-12-20" modified: "2022-12-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/roomba-photos-leaked" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "irobot" - "privacy" - "roomba" - "the digest" --- # Intimate Photos by Roomba Vacuums Leaked Online ![Your robot vacuums are watching you — and it's possible for the photos and videos to be leaked online without your consent.]() *\Image: Washington Post / Futurism\* ## RoombaLeaks Your robot vacuums are watching you — and the resulting imagery of your most private moments can, horrifically, get leaked online. As the [*MIT Technology Review* reports](), the aptly-named company iRobot, behind the uber-popular Roomba vacuums, confirmed that gig workers outside of the US broke a non-disclosure agreement when sharing intimate photos, including one of a woman on the toilet, to social media. As the report warns, however, those few images posted privately to contract worker shop talk groups may just be the tip of the privacy iceberg when it comes to robot vacuums and other smart home products that collect a ton of invasive data. ## Annotation Station The images in question, some of which *MIT Tech* shared — though thankfully not the bathroom one — were snapped by the vacuums for the purpose of data annotation, the process in which humans confirm or deny whether AI has accurately labeled things correctly. For Roombas, data annotation is a necessary part of the vacuums' efficiency — these human gig workers, most of whom live abroad, tell the robots' large AI database whether the thing in front of it is indeed a chair or if it's, say, a dog. While the data annotation process is integral to Roomba-style vacuums and other AI-enabled robotics, most people are unaware of the process, though iRobot claimed in its responses to *MIT Tech* that the leaked images came from development robots that had a bright green label that said "video recording in process." Still, the fact remains not only that these machines we bring into our homes are recording us, but also that there are humans out there who see the images and videos they capture — a creepy concept even for those who shrug over consumer privacy concerns. **More on creepy AI:** [*There's a Problem With That AI Portrait App: It Can Undress People Without Their Consent*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()