261–270 of 338 posts
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We all know the answer to this. It absolutely should be opt-in, but they know that around 96% of people will never opt-in. See: iOS 14.5 privacy changes.
Making something opt-out because you know that people would not opt in voluntarily is a class of evil on its own. It is simply fraud and deception.
I’ve seen a couple other articles like this that that to “both sides” this by claiming Apple does it with AirTags. Seems pretty disingenuous, feels like comparing faxing documents to the internet…
I've seen this, too. Apple: Their device: "Hi, I'm an AirTag! This is my serial number!" Your device: "hey Apple, I was at (X, Y) when I saw this serial number." Amazon: Their device: "Hi, can I send traffic through your network?" Your device: "sure, buddy!" They're so fundamentally different that I pretty much assume a bad faith argument from people who say they're similar.
> Users can disable Sidewalk in the settings section of the Alexa or Ring apps, but have until 8 June to do so. After that, if they have taken no action, the network will be turned on and their devices will become “Sidewalk Bridges”. Wait so what if a user buys Alexa after June 8? Are they automatically enrolled into this mass wireless sharing program with no way out?
You can still disable it after June 8th. The network isn't active right now, but you can preemptively disable before it goes live on the 8th. Users are automatically opted in to sidewalk and you have to opt out.
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My only options for escaping Sidewalk are living far enough away from neighbors or convincing all the neighbors within range of my house that they shouldn't have any Sidewalk bridge-able devices. I would at least be interested in a way of finding out what sidewalk bridges are accessible from my location. Anybody know of a way? Is it just wifi?
There's at least 2 other options: Disable (physically) modems/antennas of sidewalk-enabled devices you own, or do not purchase devices that are sidewalk-enabled. Sidewalk uses LoRa and a 900Mhz other signal (for garage door openers). With an SDR that can use that spectrum, you could probably determine if there are sidewalk endpoints around. Might be able to foxhunt them to certain houses. My plan is to do my best to…
Maybe home builders in the future will offer an rf blocking option for all exterior walls
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I've seen this, too. Apple: Their device: "Hi, I'm an AirTag! This is my serial number!" Your device: "hey Apple, I was at (X, Y) when I saw this serial number." Amazon: Their device: "Hi, can I send traffic through your network?" Your device: "sure, buddy!" They're so fundamentally different that I pretty much assume a bad faith argument from people who say they're similar.
> Apple: Their device: "Hi, I'm an AirTag! This is my serial number!" Your device: "hey Apple, I was at (X, Y) when I saw this serial number." > Amazon: Their device: "Hi, can I send traffic through your network?" Your device: "sure, buddy!" I think you're mis-characterizing Amazon here. It's not "can I send traffic through your network", it's "can you pass this message to Amazon for me? Amazon will pass it on to my…
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I've seen this, too. Apple: Their device: "Hi, I'm an AirTag! This is my serial number!" Your device: "hey Apple, I was at (X, Y) when I saw this serial number." Amazon: Their device: "Hi, can I send traffic through your network?" Your device: "sure, buddy!" They're so fundamentally different that I pretty much assume a bad faith argument from people who say they're similar.
> Apple: Their device: "Hi, I'm an AirTag! This is my serial number!" Your device: "hey Apple, I was at (X, Y) when I saw this serial number." > Amazon: Their device: "Hi, can I send traffic through your network?" Your device: "sure, buddy!" I think you're mis-characterizing Amazon here. It's not "can I send traffic through your network", it's "can you pass this message to Amazon for me? Amazon will pass it on to my…
> When Sidewalk is on, your Bridge can share a low-bandwidth connection with Sidewalk-enabled devices, like sensors and smart lights that are installed in locations around and outside your home where wifi may not be available. Amazon Sidewalk does not support high-bandwidth connections like a wifi or cellular network would, so you would still use those connections for streaming movies, posting on social media or sending email.
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"extend the low-bandwidth working range of devices to help find pets or valuables with Tile trackers, and help devices stay online even if they are outside the range of their home wifi" Seems like a genuine customer problem. If you want to set up smart lights through your back yard, or a smart sensor at the edge of your driver, they might not have WiFi connectivity to the rest of your house. Hence the Sidewalk metaph…
> Seems like a genuine customer problem. If you want to set up smart lights through your back yard, or a smart sensor at the edge of your driver, they might not have WiFi connectivity to the rest of your house. That sounds like a "you" problem, not a "me" problem. If "you" are setting up smart devices where "you" don't have connectivity, "you" should provide the connectivity, not "me". (Note: I don't have a problem w…
It's really quite similar to Apple's Find My network.
I just wish this was going to some open collective where everyone could benefit, rather than just Amazon customers...
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A content “delivery” network running on human movements. Now that’d be an interesting routing problem.
Not just human movements, but any movements. In Northern Canada, we have tons of fly-in communities that exclusively use satellite internet. And few good opportunities for caching either. Would be cool to have a seamless system where you put in your Netflix request and a couple days later, the shows arrive because the aircraft has a Pi loaded with SD cards on it and boots at ground level.
This is what netflix used to do.
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The apple airtag devices do the same thing. They can get online via any apple device. Not sure if that applies to other FindMy devices though. I hope it does =)
> They can get online via any apple device. Airtags don’t “get online.” Apple devices take note of the Airtag’s identifying characteristics (I don’t know how this is defined) and report back to Apple having been in proximity to them. They are “dumb” with respect to the internet. Just Bluetooth beacons.
Article doesn't mention it, but this is how you opt-out (there are others but this one has screenshots). https://www.tomsguide.com/reference/what-is-amazon-sidewalk Added to my list for the next time I'm on the phone with my parents, for our (weekly at this point) how-to sessions on "stopping the industry I work in from spying on you". I really, really wish product managers would understand the kind of ecosystem they…
A busybody, myopic, minor corporate executive wanting to implement a known technique for more career growth. (See Comcast, Apple, et al.)