Robot vacuum cleaner took photos of woman on the toilet…and the images ended on Facebook 

A robot vacuum cleaner took photographs of a woman sat on the toilet, with the images ending up being shared on Facebook.

The iRobot Roomba robot vacuum entered the bathroom and took intimate images of the woman before they were circulated among closed social media groups.

They were taken by a development version of the cleaning robot and sent to Scale AI, a software start-up with contracted workers from across the globe.

Their job is to categorise data which is then used to train artificial intelligence, such as the robot vacuum. 

This helps them to more accurately map their surroundings in the home, avoid obstacles, understand the size of a room and tailor its cleaning pattern better. 

The iRobot Roomba robot vacuum entered the bathroom and took intimate images of the woman before they were circulated among closed social media groups. File image

iRobot told the review that the development version of the Roombas were given to employees and paid contractors who signed contracts recognising that their data, including video, would be sent to the company for training purposes. Pictured, images are labelled by contractors

The images were shared online to Facebook and Discord by Venezuelan contractors in 2020, MIT Technology Review reported on Monday.

It had seen screenshots of the intimate photos from the closed social media groups, as well as other scenes from inside homes across Asia, Europe and North America.

'The photos vary in type and in sensitivity. The most intimate image we saw was the series of video stills featuring the young woman on the toilet, her face blocked in the lead image but unobscured in the grainy scroll of shots below,' the review stated.

The robot cleaning devices move freely about the house as they vacuum floors. Pictured, images are labelled by contractors

The company also said that the cleaning robots had a bright green 'video recording in progress' sticker. Pictured, images are labelled by contractors

iRobot told the review that the development version of the Roombas were given to employees and paid contractors who signed contracts recognising that their data, including video, would be sent to the company for training purposes.

The company also said that the cleaning robots had a bright green 'video recording in progress' sticker, and it was the responsibility of those involved to 'remove anything they deem sensitive from any space the robot operates in, including children,' the review reported.

After the leaked data was flagged, iRobot CEO Colin Angle told the MIT Technology Review: 'iRobot is terminating its relationship with the service provider who leaked the images, is actively investigating the matter, and [is] taking measures to help prevent a similar leak by any service provider in the future.'