Reporter Regrets Letting Amazon's Delivery People Into His House (washingtonpost.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Washington Post reporter Geoffrey A. Fowler describes his short-lived experience with "Amazon Key", a $250 smart lock system with a security camera that grants Amazon's delivery people access to your home. The lock sounds "like R2-D2 with constipation," and at one point it actually jammed (though his persistent delivery person eventually got it working properly). The unlocking of the door triggers a live video feed of the delivery -- which is also stored in a private archive online -- plus an alert to your phone -- and the Post's reporter writes that "The biggest downsides to the experience haven't been the strangers -- it's been Amazon."

They missed their delivery windows four out of eight times, and though the packages all arrived eventually, all four were late by a least a day. But his larger issue is that Amazon "wants to draw you further into an all-Amazon world... Now Amazon wants to literally own your door, so it can push not just packages but also services that come through it, like handymen, dog-walkers, groceries, you name it." His ultimate question? "Who's really being locked in?"
The Post's reporter notes that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post, "but I review all tech the same." He did identify some advantages to the $250 smart lock system -- the door can now also be unlocked with the Amazon Key app, and he can even share that access with his friends by giving them a special access code.

But he also notes that security researchers discovered a way to freeze Amazon's security camera, potentially allowing a rogue delivery person to lurk in your house. And all things considered, it was apparently all too creepy. "After two weeks, my family voted to remove the Amazon Key smart lock and take down the camera."

Comments

Seems dumb but need is real

[kencurry]

My current pet peeve is getting into delivery race-condition. They leave a note a the door - someone must sign but no option to sign and leave at front door? So then you miss day two, and when you get home from work you call, only to find that package won't be at local facility until after 8 blah blah... Spent extra for overnight shipping and you don't get package for three days.

Re:Seems dumb but need is real

[mikael]

That's the best solution. One apartment complex where I stayed had this system. There were a communal set of lock boxes. If postal service had to deliver a parcel, they put in the lock box and the key in your locked mailbox. Then when you used the communal lockbox, the key could be inserted but only removed by the mailperson.

Unfortunately, in the UK, this won't work. One home owner installed his own close-to-lock box. Couriers from various companies then started using it without his permission as a "safe place" for other people to collect their parcel deliveries. He had to remove the lock box due to the hassle of strangers coming round and hammering on his door wanting their items back.

Leave-with-a-neighbor doesn't work either. I had my items delivered to an elderly lady who then guessed who the items were for and gave them to another neighbor who then went on holiday for two weeks.