Roborock is under suspicion of leaking user data.

Roborock, a Chinese manufacturer of robotic vacuum cleaners, is under suspicion of potentially leaking user data, following South Korea's ban on DeepSeek for similar reasons.

Roborock, a Chinese robot vacuum cleaner manufacturer, has just issued a statement denying any involvement in the data leak allegations or suspicions surrounding DeepSeek. This statement comes amid suspicions that several Chinese robot vacuum cleaner companies are collecting and using user data.

In a press release issued in South Korea – where Roborock leads the robot vacuum cleaner market with a nearly 50% market share in 2024 – the company emphasized that it "always complies with local laws" and does not share user data with third parties without consent. The manufacturer stated that videos , images, and audio recorded during the robot's operation are not uploaded to servers but are stored only on the device, in order to "completely limit the possibility of data leakage."

Robot vacuum cleaners have the ability to record video and audio, which often raises concerns about the leakage of sensitive data within the home.

Photo: Yonhap

Concerns about surveillance features or data security risks from robotic vacuum cleaners have become widespread after South Korea, along with several other countries, banned the DeepSeek AI chatbot due to privacy concerns. Domestic Chinese robotic vacuum cleaners, including Roborock and several others, have come under scrutiny.

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

Over the past few years, the South Korean market for robotic vacuum cleaners 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 range of home appliances to maintain its position. The company's revenue in South Korea has increased by more than 200% annually since entering the market in 2020, reaching 200 billion won (approximately $140 million) in 2023. In the first half of 2024 alone, the company achieved 142 billion won in revenue.

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