Amazon Sidewalk Raises New Privacy Concerns
The Amazon Sidewalk Promises Improved Network Connectivity As Privacy Experts Raise Red Flags
As digital assistants become ever more present in homes across the globe, Amazon’s newest innovation, the Amazon Sidewalk, is raising privacy concerns because of its ability to connect to other Wi-Fi networks and bridge multiple networks to ultimately create new webs of connectivity among both Sidewalk owners and non-Sidewalk owners.
Amazon Sidewalk Promises a Shared Network to Help Devices Work Better
While the Amazon Sidewalk is currently being rolled out in the United States alone, privacy experts across the globe are already concerned about the device’s capabilities. For most experts, the biggest concern about the Amazon Sidewalk is that it comes with a default setting that will allow it to connect to Wi-Fi systems without the express consent or acknowledgement of the owners of the Wi-Fi network owner, and in some cases, without the knowledge of the owner of the actual device.
As Amazon describes it, Amazon Sidewalk will create network bridges that allow for shared networks around neighborhoods or centralized locations. Amazon touts that Amazon Sidewalk owners will be able to access a plethora of gadgets and use the Internet of Things more easily and in new ways. From tracking pets to pinpointing lost items, Amazon says that the Sidewalk will work in coordination with other Amazon devices to make the device owner’s home smarter and the day easier. And if the owner of the Sidewalk’s Internet were to ever go down, the Sidewalk owner would still have access to the Internet because it would be able to use the Internet connectivity that had been bridged through neighboring networks via the Amazon Sidewalk.
Sidewalk’s Ability to Connect Neighboring Wi-Fi Networks Raises Privacy Concerns
Privacy experts, however, are not impressed by the Sidewalk’s ability to provide ever-present Internet access. Instead, experts note that the Sidewalk’s ability to connect neighboring Wi-Fi networks gives it the ability to potentially access sensitive and personal data of citizens that never had any intention of having their network connected or bridged. On top of that, privacy experts are critical of the fact that the Amazon Sidewalk’s default setting is to opt-in to this feature. And if Sidewalk owners want to disable the feature, the owner must remember to turn off the feature, which can be challenging for less tech-savvy users.
Key Takeaways About Privacy Concerns for the Release of Amazon Sidewalk
Amazon’s new offering of the Amazon Sidewalk, is raising new privacy concerns because it:
can connect to other available Wi-Fi networks that are not necessarily the same network as the owner of the Amazon Sidewalk;
has the potential to access sensitive data on the aforementioned networks and make them available without explicit consent; and
has its default setting set to automatically opt-in to these features, making it possible for many owners (and neighbors) of the Amazon Sidewalk to be effected without knowing it.
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