The ban on robot vacuums won’t make them safer, only worse

TechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechPolicyClosePolicyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PolicyReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportThe ban on robot vacuums won’t make them safer, only worseYou’ll have fewer robot floor cleaners to choose from and higher prices.If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.by Jennifer Pattison TuohyCloseJennifer Pattison TuohySenior Reviewer, Smart HomePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jennifer Pattison TuohyJul 31, 2026, 5:30 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.All future robot vacuums manufactured outside the USA (i.e., all of them) have been banned by the FCC. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergePart OfAll the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know aboutsee all updates Jennifer Pattison TuohyCloseJennifer Pattison TuohyPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.No other gadget knows as much about your home as a robot vacuum. They map your space, learn your routines, and many now carry a camera and microphone into every room in your house. As AI gives them a better understanding of what they see, the privacy and security risks these autonomous robots pose are only growing.That’s why greater scrutiny makes sense, but the ban on foreign-made mobile robots issued by the Federal Communications Commission earlier this week — implemented to address “unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons” — doesn’t actually judge products by how secure they are, just where they’re built. It effectively means no new robot vacuums from major companies can enter the US market unless they are built here. And spoiler alert: none are.This ban means Americans will see fewer new models, slower innovation, and more expensive robot vacuums.Cybersecurity and manufacturing are not the same thing. If the goal is safer robot vacuums (and robot lawnmowers, companion bots, humanoids, and all the other robots this ban sweeps up), this policy misses the mark. A meaningful security standard for robots would require encrypted map storage, security audits, vulnerability disclosures, and clear data retention policies.Instead, this ban means Americans will see fewer new models, slower innovation, and more expensive robot vacuums. In short, we’ll get worse vacuums than those we have today.RelatedThe US government just banned RoombasThe United States router ban, explainedAmazon bought iRobot to see inside your homeThe DJI Romo robovac had security so poor, this man remotely accessed thousands of themWe’re one step closer to a global cybersecurity standard for smart home devicesThe Matic robot vacuum is the only model currently assembled in the US, but it doesn’t use enough US-made parts to be considered American made. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeI’ve been covering and testing robot vacuums for over a decade, and have seen dozens of privacy and security stories. The fear that your robot vacuum could spy on you or leak your data isn’t paranoia; it’s a well-documented fact that we have personal experience with here at The Verge. Many of the industry’s largest manufacturers — including Dreame, Ecovacs, Roborock, iRobot, and Shark — have suffered security vulnerabilities or data breaches.Those failures don’t