Amazon devices will soon automatically share your Internet

[Dutch_12078]

Be aware, time is getting short to opt out...

arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/amazon-devices-will-soon-automatically-share-your-internet-with-neig...

[free_radical]

I never shop on Amazon anymore,bought something one time only and few months later they charged me 90$ for an acount !
Had CC company fix that real quick,Jeff Bozos is a slime

Worlds richest man gets goverment handout

https://youtu.be/t_isS8BVt8s

[MrWizard]

My wife is In long term health care, Before Covid19 came along, I put an "Echo Show 8", next to her bed, it is connected to the care facility Wi-Fi network, she can call my phone just by speaking "Alexa call George" and we have a video call, that has been a real blessing, during the Covid No visit crisis, I have Alexa Show, on this tablet, and I can have Video-communication VIA THE INTERNET with her anytime I want. Her Echo Show, let's her play Her Choice of music, or watch movies, get sports news etc..all via voice commands, a necessity at this time, Amazon music, Amazon Prime video, even rental movies billed to my Amazon account if she wants to watch something special
The sidewalk item is NoT in my device or account settings to be enabled or disabled, I will disable it if/when it shows up,
I started getting update notifications for Alexa, saying update for new features available,
I just clear it away, I will keep doing this , these New Features could be sidewalk and it's Wi-Fi data share, I do not want to join into that situation, I use cellular data, AT&T and Verizon, not cable or fiber optic,

[wa8yxm]

Today is the day unless you opt out and .. Well. I won't discuss my opinion of how effective that will be.. I have opted out by a very effective method. Don't have any Amazon devices here. No RING no Alexia no Smart TV No _____.

1984 (Book by George Orwell and movie based on the book) The government put cameras and microphones everywhere to spy on the people.

2021 the government is not doing that.... No they are letting you the person buy your own cameras and microphones..> Want to bet they will not spy on you?

And that's all I have? (Well actually they have already subpoenaed alexia)

[magicbus]

The Amazon devices don’t broadcast wifi the way Comcast and Spectrum do with their wifi units placed on customer sites. The Amazon devices only communicate with each other and share available wifi among themselves.

But I won’t have any of them in my house. Just say’in…

Dave

[Walaby]

And you have no way of knowing if the Amazon devices have an internal frequency or method of connecting that is only discoverable by other Amazon devices. Lets face it - they are a behemoth and could easily invest millions of dollars into surreptitious technology. We already know they have with the listening devices.

Remember - Amazon never said anything about this. They were SILENT. It was exposed by someone else.

Mike

[p220sigman]

Comcast/Xfinity has done this for a while if you are using their gateway (modum/router combo). I turned it off as soon as they announced it and checked back a few times to make sure it didn't get turned back on when they do "updates"

I won't even consider something like Echo or Alexis. I'm not a tech wizard either, but it seems to me if all you have to do is say its name and ask a question for it to respond, it is listening all the time and you have no way of knowing who else may be listening too.

[way2roll]

vermilye wrote:
I suspect Spectrum is doing something similar with their cable data service. If I'm using my phone to listen to an on line radio station, as I walk down my rural street, and I go by my neighbor's houses, the phone switches to WiFi. As I hit empty spaces between homes, it switches to cell service, then as I hit the next home, back to WiFi.

Since there is no data limits with Spectrum it doesn't cost anyone anything, but I do wonder how it works since I never signed up to provide WiFi to others. Am I imagining this?

If it auto connects you to someone's wifi, doesn't that also expose your phone to hacking? Seems weird and unsafe to open up this "share everyone's data" concept. It literally bypasses all the security protocols for connecting to wifi in the first place. Something doesn't sound right. And for the record I wasn't aware Alexa and similar devices broadcasted wifi. Are they un regulated hot spots? Sorry I don't get it. And it looks like it's targeted to Ring doorbell devices as well. I love the method of having to opt out instead of opt in without any proactive communication on it. Always a red flag. Amazon is essentially building a massive surveillance network. Further reinforces why I will never have one of these devices.

[vermilye]

I suspect Spectrum is doing something similar with their cable data service. If I'm using my phone to listen to an on line radio station, as I walk down my rural street, and I go by my neighbor's houses, the phone switches to WiFi. As I hit empty spaces between homes, it switches to cell service, then as I hit the next home, back to WiFi.

Since there is no data limits with Spectrum it doesn't cost anyone anything, but I do wonder how it works since I never signed up to provide WiFi to others. Am I imagining this?

[Walaby]

Im no way a full on techno geek, but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn a time or two.

The fact that your internet is encrypted likely matters not, if your device has the key and already has access to your network. Another device, connecting to your device, could be made to look just like your device, so your network doesn't see anything different.

Yeah, there's the issue of a single, or predominant ISP in a particular area, and if that goes down, there's no network to connect. But that's not everywhere. The mere fact that, as you point out, these devices are a hackers dream should convince you that they can (and are) networking these devices.

We have one, because my grand kids bought it for my wife. We understand the risks. I only plug it in and use it if we want it to play music. It actually produces a pretty decent sound.

Im just glad someone uncovered this because Amazon sure didn't let everyone know. It got exposed by an outsider.

Mike

[way2roll]

Maybe I am not fully understanding, are Echo and Alexa devices also hot spots? They are creating a sub network of these devices? Do they show up as an internet choice? My internet is encrypted so I am not sure how this would work. Sorry, I don't get it. Never mind the range on those things is hardly far enough to mesh a network together - at least in my neighborhood. And everyone has the same internet anyway, so if theirs goes out, so does mine. I have nothing to hide but if you remember Amazon was cited for recording information from people when they said they weren't. then they lied and said they weren't listening all the time - um, then how do they respond from key words? People constantly complaining about Big Brother and privacy and the same time they willingly buy these things and put them in their house. It's a hacker's dream. All a moot point for me as I don't own any of those devices. I have no need for them. I can look up Ninja jokes and check the weather just as fast on my own. Frankly I never saw the benefit outside of a novelty and laziness. The benefit is almost solely one-sided to allow companies to collect data for a variety of reasons beyond marketing. An Echo dot came with my new FW and I gave it away.

[JimBollman]

I'be opted out by not having any of those type devices in my house.

[Walaby]

StirCrazy wrote:
must be a US only thing, I looked on my amazon devides and I dont have the setting or app to disable or enable.

Steve

Yes - "only available in the US".

Mike

[StirCrazy]

must be a US only thing, I looked on my amazon devides and I dont have the setting or app to disable or enable.

Steve

[Walaby]

thomasmnile wrote:
I'm still trying to figure out how they would access bandwidth on another router but that's way beyond my pay grade. Thanks for the info OP.

Believe they would access it through your Amazon device, if you don't opt out. If your neighbors loses it's network connection with his network, the device would link to your device if in range, and then would have access to the inner-web through your device.

It should be criminal for Amazon to make the default be opt-in, and they didn't tell anyone.

I've opted out.

Mike