9 thoughts on “Amazon Key: Have we gone too far?”

1. With advancements in technology today, there’s a line between creepy and not creepy. This is definitely creepy. While this product may provide convenience, it is at the cost of someone breaking into your house and possibly stealing stuff from your house. I would never want some random amazon delivery man in my house while I am not home. I think Amazon is going too far here with their smart technology, but I do commend Amazon on doing whatever they can to think about the customer and providing them with a great delivery experience. But in my opinion, this is creepy and I would never purchase this.

2. I don’t think that this is really all that much of an invasion of privacy. If you don’t want people in your home ever, that’s fine, but often delivery people need to come in anyways if a package is too large or your elderly or something. I think that ideally, if the camera isn’t working, then the key probably doesn’t function either. There are probably a lot of applications to this as well. For example, this allows you to receive deliveries when you’re on vacation, traveling from work, or don’t trust the people in your neighborhood not to steal your packages. Also, if this is integrated with a courier service (which they usually are) then the delivery person has gone through a background check and is trustworthy. Therefore, this technology is really only scary if there is someway to open the door without UPS or USPS triggering the lock themselves. I think that this would make sense in a similar fashion to those technologies that we discussed in class where realtors or people interested in looking at a house can push a button to request entry to the house from the owner in real time.

3. I think this “advancement” definitely crosses the creepy line. I think this product can be easily misused and harmful to people. I do not believe that many people will even buy this product because they would not be comfortable with a stranger coming into their home. There are definitely many ways that a person can negatively misuse this product, For example, the article says that the Amazon Key has a camera to make sure the delivery person only does what they are supposed to, but if they wear a mask or break the camera somehow, they are anonymous, and can enter the home and steal things or harm others. I think that Amazon has a good idea with the Amazon Key and wanting to improve the safety of the package they are delivering, however I think this can lessen the safety of Amazons users. I think that there could be better solutions than having a person go into your home, like maybe a box or safe of some sort that delivery people can leave the packages in.

4. Honestly, this is terrifying. I can’t think of anyone in their right mind who would use the Amazon Key, especially as it has been described in the above post. There are so many security concerns that come along with it. Whether it be deliverers abusing the fact that you have given them access to your home (I know it says that there is a camera to keep an eye on them, but all they have to do is wear a mask and suddenly they are anonymous), but it’s definitely not fool-proof. Most people do not have much demand for a system that allows delivery-men/women to enter their home, as most people would rather them just leave their deliveries on the porch. This could be used for home security one day and letting in family and friends, but there definitely need to be more security updates and assurance of safety before that happens. The Washington Post explains that all the couriers would be Amazon couriers and that the option for “in-home” delivery would have to be selected, but I don’t personally see any use for that. What’s the difference between having a package delivered in your home as opposed to just on your porch?

   https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2017/10/25/amazon-key-is-silicon-valley-at-its-most-out-of-touch/?utm_term=.649d32ff5c9f

5. This is a very interesting piece of technology. The idea of it is interesting because you can essentially have your packages delivered to your home without having the worry of being there. You can also have friends or family members enter your home while you are at work or somewhere else. What also makes this technology interesting is because of the security issues that come along with it. They did say they have a camera attached to the device to make sure that the individuals that enter your house will do what they are only suppose to do. What if somebody hacks into the camera and control it differently? In order for this technology to be successful there will have to be a heavier amount of security attached to it. There are way to many risk with having a stranger entering your home while you are not there. With every new piece of technology it seems that developers are not taking security into consideration. We live in a day and age with untrustworthy people because we have several cases of people getting their accounts hacked. I honestly can not see people buying this product without worrying about their homes while they are not there.

   In order for this product to be successful Amazon will need to figure out how to make this product more trustworthy. Once they figure that out I think this product can and will do very good.

6. The author provided a good example of Internet of Things and I agree he said that this design is a little creepy. This product allow Amazon to put our package inside our house and it can indeed make the package safer, but at the same time, it increases the risk of theft break in our house. Even there is a camera for us to supervise what they were doing during the time they entered our house, there is still some possibility that they do something bad that the camera cannot catch. I have experienced almost the same thing as this last summer. I mailed a book to one of my friend and express company send a guy pick that book at my house. We let him in so that he would not stand outside when I was writing billing information. That night was raining and 2 people broke in my house and stole 4 laptops, digital camera and cash. We let him in and he may remember the layout of our house so that it’s easier for them to quickly broke in and leave. Until now, police still have no idea who did this because police only allow to interrogate that courier, but those guys who broke in my house may be his friends so it’s hard to find out who those thefts are. Internet of Things is becoming more popular in our daily life and it could make our life better, but our privacy is still what we need to focus on. According to Robin Doherty, as the development of Internet of Things, our freedom of assembly is threatened by the tracking of our location by mobile phone and other electronic equipment. Internet of Things could make our life easier and more convenience but also could bring more risks.
   Source:
   Robin Doherty, Jun 2016
   https://robindoherty.com/2016/01/06/nothing-to-hide.html

7. The new Amazon Key is a great example of the Internet of Things and how technology is going to become more and more integrated into our everyday lives. In the article I found it said that even though more and more people are having items delivered to them, the issue of stolen packages increasing. This means that customers are not getting what they had delivered which are sometimes very expensive items such as electronics. The article I read called this the “Last Foot Problem” because it is right at the end of the transaction where these theft issues are occurring. The Amazon Key would be a great solution to this problem, except for the fact that many people think that it is crossing the creepy line. I also agree that a device that would unlock my home to strangers while I’m not there is very unsettling. Even though the device would have a camera, that still doesn’t stop the delivery person from stealing things from your home or potentially being able to get back in. I also thought you brought up a good point about Amazon being able to collect data about when you are in your home and they would know your schedule. On the other hand, as the article I read continued it brought up many good points I had not thought of. For example, when we take an Uber we are really getting a ride home from a stranger. Or if someone where to put their house for rent on Airbnb they are letting strangers enter their home and stay there. There are also services where you can hire strangers to come and complete tasks such as putting away groceries and taking care of pets. I think that as I was reading through my article and everyone else’s comments I came to understand that as we enter the age of the IoT a lot of technology is going to start out as creepy and unsettling but in the end people will end up adapting to a new way of life. How did you feel the first time you called an Uber and provided a stranger with directions to your home as they drove you around? Now for many of us it has just become a part of our lives.

   http://mashable.com/2017/10/25/amazon-key-last-foot-problem/#grHZLdYb4iqi

8. Yes, I believe we have gone too far. While this is very innovative and could be helpful and convenient to many people, I would not be interested in it for safety and security reasons. I live in a very safe neighborhood, so I do not see the need to let a stranger go into my home to drop off my package. I believe the Amazon Key could lead to people hacking into the system and stealing from your home as well as other potential hazards you would have no control over. The article I read also mentions how this leads to Amazon learning even more about you than they already do. They will now know what times and what days of the week you aren’t home, when you are gone for long periods of time and are simply watching you from the camera. Personally, I find that very creepy.
   However, this could be useful for people that have cleaning services and/or dog walkers come to their house frequently. By having this system they will only have access at certain times and that could make some people feel better knowing they will not be able to come in when not permitted.

   http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/25/560002583/amazons-newest-service-would-let-couriers-unlock-front-doors-monitored-by-camera

9. I do agree that this is a little creepy, but it is something that could be very useful. Many people have smart locks anyway so this isn’t the first of its kind. I think they would have to test this out many times and make sure that the camera would never get disabled, that is my only big issue. If the camera is functional 24/7, I don’t see a big problem with this. It might be tough to agree to get one, but once you got it and used it a few times I think most people would be fine with it. I know for a fact that Amazon went over all the possibilities that could go wrong and I trust that they know what they’re doing and they know that this is the right time to release this product. They know the average person is very uncomfortable letting someone in when they aren’t there, but if the camera is working all the time and they can see what goes on, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all. I’m also sure the delivery person’s name would be given to the customer so If anything were to be taken, they would have the information to the person who was delivering the product. I could see this product starting off slow but after a few years of being in the market, grow a lot and be in many households.