Privacy is an important topic in the age of the internet. There are so many ways to find out personal information, it is hard to even know about them all.

In an odd turn of events, your vacuum cleaner and activity tracker could be one of those privacy-leaking devices!

As the Roombas roam around your house, they collect information. They remember where walls, furniture and rooms are. If this data were to be sold, it could be a goldmine for advertisers.

Your Roomba could extrapolate that you don’t have an armchair, so you start seeing advertisements from La-Z-Boy. It could detect it is cleaning up dog food, and then you start seeing advertisements for dog food. It could also detect the square footage of your home, and deduce your income level and sell that information to third parties.

Another device that is causing problems is the FitBit.

FitBit recently gave away the location and layout of a secret military base, as the data was not secured. This raises serious national security issues from such a simple device, but it could spell disaster for everyday people as well.

Stalkers could have access to real-time locations and track travel habits. Advertisers could do the same to target you in extremely intimate ways.

Should these devices be required to keep this information confidential and secure, or should the users accept the risks that come with the products?

One thing is for sure: privacy can be compromised by the most innocuous devices.

Eric Cawley is an occasional blogger for Gary Stringham & Associates. Gary provides consulting and expert witness services in embedded systems such as robotics. Feel free to contact Gary at 208-939-6984.