MediaNama reported that India's IT ministry, MeitY, asked home-service platforms whether they send footage from inside Indian homes to AI developers abroad. The Economic Times said ministry secretary S. Krishnan led a meeting on 12 November with Pronto, Urban Company, Snabbit and robotics firms. A person aware of it said Pronto must file a detailed note on its practices.
Pronto's workers wear cameras during chores, and the firm trains robot AI on the footage. In May, Pronto said it deleted all footage within 48 hours. On 8 November, it said it deletes raw footage after the job and uses an anonymised copy for training. It did not say who trains on it or where. Urban Company and Snabbit chose not to record in homes, The Economic Times said. MediaNama's questions to the firms are unanswered.
The key point is that deleting raw footage is not the same as deleting what is kept. MediaNama notes that blurring faces does not necessarily make home footage anonymous. Truly anonymised data falls outside India's data law. The rules let the government set further conditions on transfers, but those obligations take effect only in May 2027. Buyers can ask vendors which copy they keep, who holds it, and where.