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Household robots threaten privacy

(UPI Photo/David Silpa)
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SEATTLE, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- The increasing use of household robots mask security risks that threaten privacy, University of Washington researchers warn.

"A lot of attention has been paid to robots becoming more intelligent and turning evil," said Tadayoshi Kohno, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering. "But there is a much greater and more near-term risk, and that's bad people who can use robots to do bad things."

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People increasingly use household robots for chores, communication, entertainment and surveillance. The robots' audio and video streams, however, are at risk of interception on a home's wireless network and on the Internet, university researcher Tamara Denning said.

"In the future people may have multiple robots in the home that are much more capable and sophisticated," Denning said. "Security and privacy risks with future household robots will likely be more severe, which is why we need to start addressing robot security and privacy today."

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