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Hey jal, just to let you know the iRobot privacy policy and device data collection and retention policy does state that data will not be shared, divulged or sold to any third party without your express informed consent on a case by case basis, and that data is not even collected by them unless you opt-in and register your robot with them. The bots are fully functional as a standalone device without internet connectivity. Additionally you can contact them at any time to have your private data removed from their servers which they are happy to do.

Full disclosure: I am a former iRobot engineer, and also a big privacy proponent. I also had some feelings about a camera enabled mapping robot when I first learned about the project, but I can tell you that the people there take privacy and data security VERY seriously, and really are trying to respect their customers as much as possible. Unfortunatley the message that iRobot wanted to allow you to share your mapping data if you wanted to for enabling smart home applications got spun pretty quickly into "iRobot wants to sell your data!")



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