Firm Highlights Privacy Considerations in Chinese Takeover of iRobot
Businesses that have used iRobot devices and the data they collect should verify compliance with state privacy laws, attorneys at McCarter & English said Monday.
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Roomba’s Massachusetts-based parent company iRobot recently filed for bankruptcy. Amazon abandoned plans to buy the company due to antitrust concerns from regulators at the FTC and from the European Union. The company has since entered into a purchase agreement with a subsidiary of its Chinese supplier, Picea Robotics.
“The acquisition of iRobot by a Chinese-based company raises similar consumer protection and data privacy worries over how iRobot’s data will be used,” the firm wrote. “As a US-based company, iRobot’s use and treatment of consumer data was governed by both federal and state privacy statutes in addition to representations made by iRobot to users through its privacy notices relating to its data collection, retention, and deletion policies.”
McCarter & English highlighted privacy laws in New Jersey, Florida, Delaware, Connecticut, California and other states that “create additional considerations for businesses whose data is collected by iRobot, such as the right to access or delete data.”