Why You Shouldn’t Get Amazon Key Now
This week Amazon announced Amazon Key, a new option that allows you to deliver when you are not at home by providing drivers with a dedicated digital key. With a compatible smart lock and security camera, delivery drivers can unlock your front door and walk inside to deliver your package while you watch from your smartphone. If you value convenience over safety, then by all means knock yourself out of the rut. But the security risks, privacy concerns, and creepy details of image analysis are enough, so it’s probably safer to postpone, at least until you see how early versions of the technology work.
Once your smart lock and Cloud Cam are installed, the courier, theoretically subject to prior verification by Amazon, unlocks your door and drops your box into your home. Cloud Cam tracks the entire transaction and allows you to monitor delivery in real time from your smartphone if you so desire.
While Amazon Key (in theory) ensures that you receive your supplies without the worry of being at home, the company also wants customers to use the smart lock for a wider range of purposes , such as temporarily lending to friends, family, or a nanny. … access.
This all sounds good and good to a seemingly utopian society in which Amazon seems to believe that we all live in, but there are too many ways it can go wrong, be it the actual equipment or the actions of people who are allowed entrance to your home. Leaked camera footage, server failures (this won’t be the first time Amazon will shut down unexpectedly), or arrogant burglars who completely ignore the camera and force you to file a lawsuit with Amazon are just some of the ways Amazon Key could end up being something. then great. hassle than help.
Smart locks are clumsy
Smart locks, while an attractive option, are still in their infancy. Security experts don’t fully sell them due to security flaws that can make you more vulnerable than if you were using a traditional lock.
In fact, the smart lock malfunction occurred earlier this year when hundreds of Airbnb guests using Lockstate smart locks were unable to enter their rented homes due to a failed firmware update. It’s not hard to assume that a faulty Amazon Key update could allow someone to gain access to the inside of your home, or prevent you from getting inside.
Cloud Cam is always watching
If you’re comfortable with having a voice assistant like the Amazon Echo at home and listening to your conversations , Cloud Cam won’t be all that strange for you. When enabled, Cloud Cam continuously records and erases footage stored on the camera itself. If it detects motion, footage of your home is uploaded to Amazon’s servers for image analysis to determine if the detected activity is worth your attention or is just a dog walk. By using Cloud Cam, you allow Amazon to “process and store your Recordings in the cloud to provide and improve our services,” an activity that most would rather not do with their foyer videos.
The bottom line is that Amazon Key uses two technologies with security concerns that should get consumers thinking. Neither a smart lock nor a cloud-connected camera gives you enough peace of mind to consider subscribing to the service right now.