Roborock suspected of leaking user data

Roborock, a Chinese robot vacuum cleaner company, has just announced that it has no connection to the data leak allegations or the suspicions surrounding DeepSeek. This statement appeared in the context of a number of Chinese companies that produce robot vacuum cleaners being suspected of collecting and using user data.

In a statement issued in South Korea - where Roborock leads the robot vacuum cleaner market with a market share of nearly 50% by 2024 - the company emphasized that it "always complies with local laws" and does not share user data with third parties without consent. The manufacturer said that videos , images or sounds recorded during the robot's work are not transferred to the server but are only stored on the device, in order to "completely limit the possibility of data leakage".

Robot vacuum cleaners have the ability to record video and audio, so they often become a concern for sensitive data leaks in the home.

Concerns about surveillance features or data security risks from robot vacuum cleaners have become widespread after South Korea, among other countries, banned AI chatbot DeepSeek over privacy concerns. Domestic Chinese robot vacuum cleaners, including Roborock and several other brands, have been put in the "crosshairs".

Last year, Roborock faced criticism when its user agreement allowed the company to share personal data with Hangzhou Tuya Information Technology (China). At that time, the company also affirmed that all information transmitted to the server was encrypted using the latest TLS standard. The company explained that users have full rights to delete and manage any data collected by the robot from the mobile device connected to it for management.

In recent years, the robot vacuum cleaner market in Korea has seen fierce competition from industry giants. Samsung, LG and foreign companies have had to constantly strengthen their reputation for data security. Roborock is expanding its home appliance portfolio to maintain its position. The company's revenue in Korea has increased more than 200% each year since entering the market in 2020, reaching 200 billion won (equivalent to 140 million USD) in 2023. In the first half of 2024 alone, the company's figures show it reached 142 billion won.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/roborock-dinh-nghi-van-lam-ro-ri-du-lieu-nguoi-dung-185250228151124499.htm