Posted on 05/30/2021 3:26:34 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
If you use Alexa, Echo, or any other Amazon device, you have only 10 days to opt out of an experiment that leaves your personal privacy and security hanging in the balance.
On June 8, the merchant, Web host, and entertainment behemoth will automatically enroll the devices in Amazon Sidewalk. The new wireless mesh service will share a small slice of your Internet bandwidth with nearby neighbors who don’t have connectivity and help you to their bandwidth when you don’t have a connection.
By default, Amazon devices including Alexa, Echo, Ring, security cams, outdoor lights, motion sensors, and Tile trackers will enroll in the system. And since only a tiny fraction of people take the time to change default settings, that means millions of people will be co-opted into the program whether they know anything about it or not.
Amazon has published a white paper detailing the technical underpinnings and service terms that it says will protect the privacy and security of this bold undertaking. To be fair, the paper is fairly comprehensive, and so far no one has pointed out specific flaws that undermine the encryption or other safeguards being put in place. But there are enough theoretical risks to give users pause.
Wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have a history of being insecure. Remember WEP, the encryption scheme that protected Wi-Fi traffic from being monitored by nearby parties? It was widely used for four years before researchers exposed flaws that made decrypting data relatively easy for attackers. WPA, the technology that replaced WEP, is much more robust, but it also has a checkered
(Excerpt) Read more at theentrepreneurfund.com ...
My solution for electronic spy: sledgehammer + anvil = smithereens.
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=raspberry+pi+streaming+box
People are making them from Raspberry Pi single board computers, Either a Pi 4 or a Pi 400. The Pi 400 is built into a keyboard. Both come with HDMI ports. They can run either Android or a special Pi version of Linux.
If you want the big name streaming apps like Hulu, you’ll need Android and you’ll have to have google play installed to connect to the google play store. Most of the free streaming outfits have a web based version so you could just run a browser. There are some that run on Kodi. At the very least, you’ll know there’s no camera or microphone.
Let me know when I can watch movies on my neighbors’ Amazon Prime account. That way I can watch things but don’t have to give Bezos or Hollywood a dime.
Are they going to expand this program where I can also order goods from my neighbor’s Amazon account? I’d say bill it to Bezos. He can’t spend all of that money.
I can understand buying something online . . but paying bills? Is somebody going to hack in and pay my bill?
Yeah. Dangerous. Doubtful if someone will hack in to PAY your bill. LOL! More likely they’d compromise your financial accounts and steal money.
“This does not mean that Amazon is a bad actor here.”
Amazon, Google, MS, Apple etc... what’s the difference?
Yep, just an HDMI cable, assuming the PC has one.
"shoes will have embedded chips"
Like anything else, free internet suffers from the tragedy of the commons as well.
If you have an Amazon Ring security system log into the your account and go into the “Control Center” and then “Amazon Sidewalk” and you can opt out. You may want to look at the other categories listed there, such as “Neighbors”, “Third Party Service Providers”, etc. while your at it.
PM for June 10
Why does everyone act surprised when a CIA operation like Facebook or Amazon oversteps its bounds? “Tolja so” years ago but then everyone thought my tinfoil was too tight. Tele-sales creeps have been stealing our time and resources for decades, and only “anti-business communists” had a problem with that. Nobody raised hell when Microsoft reserved 1/4 of the day on your computer to do whatever the hell they pleased including sharing with the neighbors. Why wouldnt other companies assume some of your privacy/rights/property? Until every one of you is willing to make your congressman/senator swing over not passing proper privacy laws this is just going to get worse.
Yeah, it’s all magic. Most likely it’s the app you run on your phone like you said that is allowing the devices to sneak through the defenses and set up camp. Apps are always sneaky, always spying on you. The choice is always ours of course, to allow or not allow.
I am not surprised. That said, I control our WiFi. Our nuclear family share it and have the password. Amazon does not.
I have spectrum out in the country. I only get a small fraction of bandwidth. I can’t spare a single packet. Not one sheet !
They don't need your password.
So opt out, if you can’t spare a packet.
Otherwise, consider it “gleaning the fields” - I don’t need to hoard every packet, even on my now-modest 20Mbps line. Were it easy to share a few percent, I’d do so - and a universal mesh network would do well.
As conservatives, remember there IS a degree of contributing to society & poor. Don’t be a tight-wad. Inadequately doing so gives Progressives room to claim the moral high ground.
I do not currently have Amazon devices and will not purchase them for that reason.
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