People attend a funeral procession for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb. 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, in Tehran, Iran, July 6, 2026. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/ Handout via REUTERS

I bought a vacuum cleaner – one of those robots that cleans automatically. I returned it the next day…when I realized it was probably an Iranian spy.

My vacuum robot had a generic, English-language sounding brand-name, but as I got to know the product I realized it was actually Chinese. That in itself isn’t a problem, China makes all kinds of useful, inexpensive products.

But…

Then I remembered something disturbing: during Operation Rising Lion (Israel’s strike against Iran’s nuclear program last year) the IDF began to suspect Chinese “smart-cars” were collecting sensitive information on IDF bases. The cars have cameras, microphones, precise GPS, can connect to the driver’s phone, and have access to the internet. IDF soldiers drive their Chinese cars right into their bases, where the car can collect all manner of sensitive data, and upload it to the internet.

This isn’t a wild conspiracy theory, but a serious concern expressed by the Shin Bet (Israel’s “FBI”) and the IDF, which have already begun implementing rules to limit the use of such cars on or near bases.

But that’s not all.

• It’s well known that China has a “National Intelligence Law” that requires private companies to cooperate with the government on security matters — which includes turning over private user data.
• It’s also well known that China frequently shares intelligence with Iran (in addition to supplying the Islamic Republic with major components for its missile and nuclear programs).

In other words – if a private Chinese company has information, then (effectively) so does the Chinese government. And if the Chinese government has information, then (in all likelihood) so does Iran.

And then it hit me – unlike older models, these new vacuum robots don’t settle for mere LIDAR systems to help navigate around the house. Instead, they have multiple high quality cameras, precise GPS location, even microphones. And of course, the device has internet access. In other words, my vacuum is almost exactly like the Chinese cars that have gotten Israel’s security experts so worried.

At first I hesitated to return my new device – perhaps I’m just being paranoid, right? I mean, after all, it’s just a vacuum. The very next day, the FCC announced that America will be banning most models of foreign-made robotic vacuum cleaners…for reasons of “national security.”

This shouldn’t be surprising – if Israel can infiltrate Hezbollah’s pagers and Iran’s traffic cameras, why shouldn’t China be able to commandeer its own empire of inexpensive exports?

As the salesperson at my local Tel Aviv appliance store accepted my return, he asked if I’d like to exchange for a different model. I explored the shelves, this time with a little help from Google — to check the names of each brand: every vacuum in the store was Chinese.

Daniel Pomerantz is the CEO of RealityCheck, an organization dedicated to deepening public conversation through robust research studies and public speaking.