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Computer programmer Harishankar Narayanan discovered his iLife A11 smart vacuum was secretly transmitting data to servers “halfway across the world,” including a detailed 3D map of his home created using Google Cartographer.After blocking the data transmission while allowing firmware updates, the $300 vacuum stopped working. Multiple repair attempts failed until the warranty expired.Narayanan reverse-engineered the device, finding Android Debug Bridge “wide open” with full root access.He discovered a suspicious code line timestamped to when the vacuum died, a remote kill command.After reversing the script, the vacuum worked instantly, proving the manufacturer had remotely disabled it.