What the FCC Ban on Foreign-Made Robot Vacuums Means for U.S. Consumers

It’s not just robot vacuums that will be affected. The ban covers any foreign-made advanced robotic device, defined by the FCC as a mechanical mobile device weighing over 4.4 pounds (including its ground or docking station) that is capable of locomotion, navigation, and obstacle avoidance and can be operated from a distance. 

The ban will affect consumers who own or plan to buy robot vacuums, robotic lawn mowers, or any other robotic devices, including toys that can move about in their environment, says Stacey Higginbotham, a policy fellow for Consumer Reports’ technology advocacy team.

The FCC is following the determination from a White House-convened interagency body that these products “pose unacceptable risks” to national security. According to the agency, these advanced robotic devices pose cybersecurity risks and can create supply chain vulnerabilities that could disrupt U.S. economic and national security.

If you already own a robot vacuum, you won’t be affected—at least not immediately. This action doesn’t affect the usage of devices that have already been purchased. Nor does it prevent retailers from selling robot vacuums that have already been approved by the FCC. 

A separate FCC order issued the same day states that robotic devices already authorized for U.S. sale may continue to receive software and firmware updates “that mitigate harm to U.S. consumers”—including updates that patch security vulnerabilities—until Jan. 1, 2029. After that date, owners may stop receiving updates for their devices, which can expose them to security risks and other vulnerabilities, says Higginbotham. There’s a possibility that the government will extend the deadline, as it has before, with routers.

The ban applies to robotic devices produced in foreign countries, regardless of where the company is based. Based on the FCC’s FAQ, “foreign-produced” refers to any product that doesn’t qualify as a “domestic end product.” A domestic end product has to be manufactured in the U.S., and the cost of domestic components must exceed 65 percent of the total component cost, according to federal regulations. 

The ban is likely to affect a large swath of robot vacuums, given that the majority of these units are manufactured overseas. 

There’s no need to panic-shop. The robot vacuums currently selling in stores have already been approved through the FCC’s equipment authorization process. Additionally, you can check whether a robot vacuum has received FCC certification by looking up the device’s FCC ID, usually listed on the model’s label.

If a manufacturer wants to sell a new model that hasn’t received authorization, they can apply for conditional approval from the government to prove that their products don’t pose risks to national security. Once they’ve received the approval, their product will be exempt from the ban.

In our evaluation of robot vacuums and robot vacuum-mop combos, we test each model’s data privacy and security measures and have previously found cyber vulnerabilities in some units, which we include in the model pages of our ratings. When we find these issues, we contact the manufacturers to resolve them.

The national security determination cited in the advanced robotics ban discusses the dangers posed by these devices, which are often equipped with high-fidelity sensors that can collect sensitive data on their surroundings: “Advanced robotic devices are inherently networked systems, which create broad attack surfaces and leave them vulnerable to data exfiltration, remote disruption of the physical robot, and dependencies on unsecure over-the-air updates.”

However, the current ban is unlikely to fix these vulnerabilities, says Justin Stewart, a senior test project leader at Consumer Reports for digital privacy and security. For one, companies seeking conditional approval are required to submit information on the following matters: corporate structure, a supply chain and bills of materials disclosure, and a plan for U.S. manufacturing and onshoring.

Notably, the exemption process doesn’t ask questions about cybersecurity. "There is not one question about encryption, or authentication, or what happens to your data when you delete your account or sell the robot,” Stewart says.

There are more effective measures to improve the security of electronic devices sold in the U.S., Stewart says. It’s important to know, for example, where a company’s servers are based, he says, because these servers host sensitive information, such as the floor plan of your home.

The Consumer Tech Association, a trade association of tech companies, posted a statement on X, saying, “CTA supports efforts to protect our national security and strengthen technology supply chains. But those policies should be targeted, transparent, and focused on genuine security risks, not unnecessary costs or supply chain disruption.”

They also said, “We encourage continued engagement between industry and government to ensure policies advance trusted supply chains while preserving innovation, competition, and consumer access to new technologies.”

We’ve also reached out to the robot vacuum and robot vacuum-mop combo manufacturers featured in our ratings: Bissell, Black+Decker, bObsweep, Dreame, Dyson, Ecovacs, Eufy, Eureka, IonVac, iRobot, Matic Matic, Mova, Narwhal, Roborock, Samsung, and Shark. 

iRobot said they are aware of the FCC’s recent action and “are working with them to better understand its implementation and potential impact.”

Eufy responded: “Based on our current understanding, the new rule does not affect the continued availability, use, or support of products we currently sell in the United States. Those products remain available and will continue to receive updates and customer support.”

The company also said that they’re seeking further clarity on how the directive applies to future products and will keep customers informed. “We remain committed to complying with all regulatory requirements in every market where we operate,” according to Eufy.

Other manufacturers haven’t responded to our request for comment at this time.