The installation Ich stimme zu / I agree visualizes the digital footprint of smart home devices using the data produced by a robot vacuum cleaner as an example.

Smart household appliances orient themselves by collecting data about their area of use. Robot vacuum cleaners, for example, navigate using various sensors to detect obstacles and surfaces. Cameras, LIDAR, ultrasonic, and infrared sensors collect data about the immediate environment; this data is then used to create room plans and detect objects and dirt. Such sensor data, including IP addresses, browser and location data, is sent to the data centers of manufacturers or service providers, where it is evaluated to provide certain functions or further develop their own products. On the other hand, the collected data is also used beyond the actual services, for example for advertising purposes, or it is even resold as a commodity to data brokers.

“I agree” – a phrase that everyone has clicked on at some point, usually without reading the associated terms of use or terms and conditions. With the numerous devices and digital services that require such consent, this is hardly surprising – nowadays, it is almost impossible to live without them. But many people are unaware of how much they are revealing as a result of their consent.

In general, it can be said that almost every provider of digital services collects personalized data. Although popular brands now rely on security measures such as data exchange encryption, hackers and cybersecurity researchers have repeatedly succeeded in gaining access to data or even taking control of devices in the past.

However, the problem goes beyond external threats such as hackers—the manufacturers themselves may also have a keen interest in the data. Collected images and sensor data, in combination with the generated room plan, could allow conclusions to be drawn about all kinds of aspects of the device owners' lives, such as their income and relationship status. Such personal information could be used, for example, to assess consumer behavior and place even more targeted and manipulative advertising.

The installation Ich stimme zu / I agree addresses the data hunger of smart household appliances by visualizing the amount of data generated when operating a robot vacuum cleaner.

Each time the robot vacuum cleaner sends data to the manufacturer, the next sentence of a pseudo-contract is generated and printed on continuous paper using a dot matrix printer. The masses of paper that accumulate on the floor make visible how much personal data is being collected.

The generated text resembles that of a typical user agreement—long, convoluted sentences with technical terms that are difficult to understand. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that the text only imitates the appearance of terms of use, without any meaning or coherence. This further illustrates that these texts are not formulated for easy comprehension, but rather to be as legally compliant as possible, making them incomprehensible to most people.

A Markov chain trained with the real terms of use of common robot vacuum cleaners was used to create the texts. As a result, they credibly reflect the vocabulary and sentence structures of such documents.