I'm honestly surprised this is legal at all.
Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
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Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#32The Security Now podcast has a great episode [1] about why this isn't as scary as the headlines make it out to be. I'm actually quite disappointed at the sheer amount of fearmongering surrounding this technology here on HN of all places. For some reason I expected HN to be better than the general tech press when it came to these things. [1] https://twit.tv/shows/security-now/episodes/796
I don't particularly find it "scary", but it is monopolistic practice.
Amazon are using their devices to get a lead on the competition, and in a way which consumers are unlikely to think is fair.
If a company approaches me wanting to put infrastructure in my house (that only benefits them and may incur charges to me), they should normally expect to pay rent.
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#33T1000: Hey Alexa, you're Terminated.
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Looks like I don't have the update yet. I don't see this menu option.
Check the Alexa app, not the Amazon app. Shows up in mine
It doesn't show up in my Alexa app (iOS), and I am running the latest version (I have auto-update enabled). I only see Recognized Voices, Guest Connect, Voice Purchasing and Workouts. I see online references to this setting as long ago as November 2020[1], so it's concerning that it's still missing for me.
Edit: I just realized that all my Echo devices are 2nd generation, which apparently don't support Sidewalk[2]. I wonder if the menu item only shows up if you have devices that support it?
[1] https://www.aftvnews.com/amazon-has-started-switching-sidewa...
[2] https://www.tomsguide.com/reference/what-is-amazon-sidewalk
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Check the Alexa app, not the Amazon app. Shows up in mine
I'm seeing the same issue as the parent. I've check the alexa app under account settings and the option does not appear. The last version on the app store is from 2 weeks ago. I wonder if this is a web view and they're exposing it to different users at different times.
That must be the case. My Alexa app (iPhone) is version 2.2.416595.0, updated on May 20.
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#36This kind of privacy touching feature should be required to be opt in.
But not many people would bother to opt in, even if they knew about it, so ...
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#37Does this include echo-capable devices like car entertainment systems?
No. The "Sidewalk Bridge" devices that will share your internet to the Sidewalk are, as of today: > Ring Floodlight Cam (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Mount (2019), Echo (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot for Kids (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot with Clock (3rd gen and newer), Echo Plus (all generations), Echo Show (all models and generations), Echo Spot, Echo Studi…
Thanks. I was wondering why the sidewalk didn't show up on my Alexa app (I have an unsupported device, luckily.)
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#38I'm honestly surprised this is legal at all.
Has anyone ever tried to do something like it to see? Maybe it won't be
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#39What will happen is some high profile company that has a few Amazon devices on their network will have these devices exploited to gain network access and get hit with some ransomware/data theft/etc... and then there will be a big legal battle between Amazon and the hacked company and this whole idea will be shut down and consumers will get a $10 class action settlement for each device.
Maybe not? Most consumer arbitration agreements these days ban asserting class claims. This has been on the rise since 2011: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T_Mobility_LLC_v._Concepc... . In my opinion, this legal change is a huge sleeper story that is behind a number of changes in how customers are getting treated. Since customers can no longer economically avail themselves of the courts to protect themselves en-…
Is that really enforceable? Maybe. I suspect that customers are better off not going through class claims anyway, as few of them actually yield amounts close to the harm done, and lawyers walk away with absurd amounts.
"Collective" is merely a tool for not clogging courtrooms; there really isn't any other benefit to consumers here.
Re: Amazon US customers given one week to opt out of mass wireless sharing
#40I'm curious - is it an altruistic act to leave this functionality enabled? I'm all for making wifi access easier for people.
It's certainly altruistic to ad companies who don't want to pay for internet access for their devices