News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Years. Parent comment

Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by PaulDavisThe1st on Monday December 15, 2025 @11:06AM (#46276283)
> they are not really likely to be running the roomba.

You seem to assume that they have somehow physically disabled access to any kind of remote activation. That seems extremely unlikely given the overall selling points of the roomba.

The roomba doesn't have to "run" in order to be using its microphone, which as noted is likely the more valuable data acquisition source here.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by dylan604 on Monday December 15, 2025 @11:14AM (#46276430)
Maybe read the comment I was replying to before replying with something unrealted? "I'll wage a campaign to flood the Internet with pics of your half dressed wife unless you....".

Turning on a microphone is not going to capture the required pics for this blackmail campaign.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by PaulDavisThe1st on Monday December 15, 2025 @11:25AM (#46276582)
Fair. I was combining multiple subthreads when replying, and that wasn't fair.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by gosub100 on Monday December 15, 2025 @04:19PM (#46280811)
Its a numbers game, and what I described is just a sketch. Combine it with geo-location: select all roombas within 50mi of washington, DC and run all these various playbooks on it, eventually you'll find something.
[ Parent | on HN ]