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Gizmodo writes that Roomba's Next Big Step Is Selling Maps of Your Home to the Highest Bidder:
The Roomba is generally regarded as a cute little robot friend that no one but dogs would consider to be a potential menace. But for the last couple of years, the robovacs have been quietly mapping homes to maximize efficiency. Now, the device's makers plan to sell that data to smart home device manufacturers, turning the friendly robot into a creeping, creepy little spy.
And Reuters writes that the Roomba vacuum maker iRobot is betting big on the 'smart' home including possibly a lot of related side-deals:
Angle told Reuters that iRobot, which made Roomba compatible with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant in March, could reach a deal to sell its maps to one or more of the Big Three in the next couple of years.
Amazon declined to comment, and Apple and Google did not respond to requests for comment.
(Score: 2) by WillR on Tuesday July 25 2017, @05:38PM
Facebook might buy in too, but they would just do something simultaneously useless and creepy with it, like automatically tagging everything you post with what room you're in.