US: If you don't want Amazon devices to share your bandwidth with your neighbors, you need to opt-out!

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Content source

https://www.ghacks.net/2021/05/30/if-you-dont-want-amazon-devices-to-share-your-bandwidth-with-your-neighbors-you-need-to-opt-out/

Amazon plans to enroll many of its hardware devices that are operated in the United States, including many Echo devices and Ring Spotlight and Floodlight Cams, into its Amazon Sidewalk system on June 8, 2021.

Amazon Sidewalk is a shared network. According to Amazon, it is used to make devices work better, e.g. by extending the working range of devices, keeping devices running even if outside the range of the wireless network of the home, or finding pets.

One of the ideas behind Sidewalk is that devices may continue to operate even if they lose access to the local wireless network; this works best in neighborhoods with lots of Amazon devices in the vicinity that all share some of their bandwidth.

Another key element of Amazon Sidewalk is that it creates a network for roaming devices, e.g. devices similar to Apple AirTags, that Amazon could utilize to provide the functionality.

Amazon explains:

Amazon Sidewalk uses Bluetooth, the 900 MHz spectrum and other frequencies to extend coverage and provide these benefits.
Each device, called Sidewalk Bridge by Amazon, shares up to 80kbps with the Sidewalk server when the feature is active. Amazon notes that the total monthly bandwidth is capped to 500 Megabytes for an account.

Neighbors will see the approximate location of Amazon Sidewalk devices, and not the street address.

Amazon Sidewalk will be enabled by default by Amazon on supported devices on June 8, 2021 in the United States. Amazon customers who operate Echo or Ring devices, need to opt-out of the program if they don't want their devices to join the shared network and spend some of the home bandwidth.

The company published a privacy and security whitepaper that explains in detail how the system works and which privacy and security protections Amazon implemented.

 

[MacDefender]

I’m kind of curious, are people truly concerned about 80kbps / 500MB of data usage a month doing this kind of proxying?

 

[blackice]

I’m kind of curious, are people truly concerned about 80kbps / 500MB of data usage a month doing this kind of proxying?

I’m not worried about the data. I don’t like that they are making it opt out. They obviously have to or it would never gain traction. I turned off my one device (a ring not linked to my Amazon account). And found out if you don’t have an echo that you don’t even have the option to preemptively opt out in case they add it to other devices. At least I could use the Alexa app to delete the recordings from us accidentally hitting the mic button on our firetv remote.

 

[entropism]

For the record, the link to instructions on how to change your settings is here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GZ4VSNFMBDHLRJUK

 

[MacDefender]

I’m not worried about the data. I don’t like that they are making it opt out. They obviously have to or it would never gain traction. I turned off my one device (a ring not linked to my Amazon account). And found out if you don’t have an echo that you don’t even have the option to preemptively opt out in case they add it to other devices. At least I could use the Alexa app to delete the recordings from us accidentally hitting the mic button on our firetv remote.

Yeah I think that's kind of the gotcha with a service like this. It won't be very useful if everyone opts out. And even for privacy sensitive companies like Apple, presenting the user with 20 opt-in/opt-out options during setup just results in the user blindly choosing one or the other...

I'd be more worried if a feature like this misbehaves or is full of security holes but in this day and age that applies to so many technologies.