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

The FCC has moved to restrict foreign-made mobile robots, including robot vacuums, citing national security and safety concerns.

The article argues the rule targets manufacturing location rather than actual security, which could reduce competition and slow new product launches.

That may raise prices for U.S. consumers while doing little to improve safety or privacy.

It says enforceable cybersecurity standards would be a better fix than a manufacturing ban for connected home robots.