If you have an Amazon smart device in your house you are fucking insane

[Ab]

Amazon Is Coaching Cops on How to Obtain Surveillance Footage Without a Warrant

[StN]

Hmm - not disputing my level of sanity, but at least my ancient DVR and cameras are not linked to the rest of the smart devices. Does sound like some Cambridge Analytica level of social engineering that could potentially build a big data web of video surveillance.

[Nich]

Did not know Ring was owned by Amazon. I have a Ring camera set up at my co-working office. Not too worried about privacy there but damn I didn't mean to support Amazon.

Most people put their cameras outside, which lessens the violation of privacy. No doubt if Police can request Ring camera captures, they can also request Alexa audio captures?

However, the Ring app uses the phone's microphone to talk to people through the cameras. Amazon is probably harvesting phone audio captures too. Hello 1984.

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Nich

Did not know Ring was owned by Amazon.

Initially they weren't. Ring nearly went under, got some funding, nearly went under again, got brought by The Bezos Bunch and kept most of the tech team while replacing most of the management including the founders.

(Assuming I've remembered that correctly... it's that or pretty close to anyway)

[Ab]

Ring, Amazon's home security company, has encouraged people to form their own "Digital Neighborhood Watch" groups that report crime in exchange for free or discounted Ring products

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n...for-free-stuff

Ring actively recruited private citizens to simultaneously promote Ring products and serve as private informants to local police. This has allowed Ring to position itself as a private facilitator of surveillance and policing.

that sounds super-great

[Nich]

Free stuff is attractive. But I'm going to dredge up my wistful faith in humanity here and say that this idea is dead on arrival. For these reasons:

- People buy Ring products because their neighbourhood has failed on the "Neighbourhood Watch" aspect

- People think internet friends are good enough. Internet friends agree with you and you don't have to look at them. IRL neighbours are awkward, you have to look at them, they've seen you put the bins out in your underwear, but yet you have to be polite because they are as good as a stranger to you.

- Ring's Digital Neighbourhood Watch presumes that neighbours know eachother, and trust eachother.

- Ring's Digital Neighbourhood Watch presumes that neighbours want to be part of an online social network together

- Ring presumes that neighbours have the confidence to go to their neighbour's door, knock on it, and start a conversation about their security camera setup. This conversation will likely be the only conversation they have had with eachother.. and it's about security cameras?

- Even if Ring implements a "Invite people in your area" button to the App...
-- ANOTHER service I need to sign up to with a username and password!?
-- Even if they do sign up, their digital life bandwidth is already at capacity with Facebook, Twitter, Email, Whatsapp, et al... they will not check the Ring app after the first week.

- No one likes a nark

[MadMax]

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/10/0...urity-cameras/

https://www.cctvcameraworld.com/secu...-programs.html

https://www.wastatecctv.com.au/