Roomba Photographed a Woman on the Toilet and the Images Were Posted to Facebook

MIT Technology Review revealed in 2022 that images captured by iRobot Roomba robot vacuums — including a photo of a woman sitting on a toilet — had been shared with Scale AI contractors who labeled the data for AI training. The images then leaked to public Facebook groups. The photos were taken by development-model Roombas given to paid testers, who had signed consent agreements that didn't clearly explain photos could leave iRobot. It became a landmark case on the privacy risks of home AI devices.

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🦅EST. 2024 · PUBLIC RECORDDEPT. OF AI WEIRDNESS
U.S. Department of
Artificial Intelligence Weirdness
Report #222← All Incidents
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Roomba Photographed a Woman on the Toilet and the Images Were Posted to Facebook

Filed by @home_privacy_watchTool: iRobot Roomba AI[original source ↗]
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MIT Technology Review revealed in 2022 that images captured by iRobot Roomba robot vacuums — including a photo of a woman sitting on a toilet — had been shared with Scale AI contractors who labeled the data for AI training. The images then leaked to public Facebook groups. The photos were taken by development-model Roombas given to paid testers, who had signed consent agreements that didn't clearly explain photos could leave iRobot. It became a landmark case on the privacy risks of home AI devices.

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10/10 — Deeply unhinged
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