The other day, we heard of Amazon’s intention to acquire iRobot and it took us a few moments to realize just how dangerous this could be for our collective privacy. You see, as part of the deal, the tech giant also got a data collection machine that comes in the form of a vacuum. And those vacuum cleaners could be easily (mis)used for mapping our homes.
The $1.7 billion deal will help Amazon make more money selling Roombas, no doubt about that, but it could potentially pave the way for them to know in advance what we need. And while that could come in handy, it is also very, very scary.
For instance, Roombas could be trained to recognize in which room they are in — or users could let them know through an app — and when, for instance, algorithms in Amazon’s cloud figure out you have a ton of space in your living room – they could suggest some new furniture or a stationary bike.
Of course, Amazon will pair this information with everything else it has on you — and that would be a ton if you’re an Amazon regular — to show you the products you’re more likely to buy. As a customer, you can sit back and relax as your Roomba sweeps the floor and helps you spend even more of your hard-earned cash.
Amazon is already a force to be reckoned with in the smart home space, with its Echo smart speakers still outselling those from rivals Apple and Google — with an estimated 9.9 million units sold in the three months through March. Also, it offers Ring smart doorbells, which too are contributing to the company’s bottom line and, we would add, its assault on our privacy. You see, Amazon is already providing access to Ring video streams to the police without a warrant, and now it could extend that with a detailed floor plan as compiled by a Roomba.
Good for the police, but for the rest of us – it’s a whole different story.
To be fair, the tech giant did say that protecting customer data is “incredibly important,” but we know that in the past, such words haven’t materialized. Again, remember the many Ring video-sharing incidents from the past.
But even if they don’t end up offering the floor maps to the police departments, Amazon will still be able to take advantage of that data. It is fairly easy to imagine a Roomba stumbling on a floor full of toys, only to show you ads for new toys later on.
I guess we have to understand Amazon’s willingness to keep growing — its shareholders demand so — but we also need better laws to protect our privacy. Cause next thing we’ll see could be Amazon going for the smart bed / sheet market, and then it will know what’s going on in the bedroom. Think again if you weren’t scared before…