Disable this technology: Amazon started sharing your internet connection with the neighbours.

[Caute_cautim]

Hi All

Once again a great piece of technology and suddenly it is being abused, without the owner realising it:

https://www.komando.com/kims-column/amazon-just-started-sharing-your-internet-connection-with-your-n...

What did the sales person say, it is perfectly safe - until another feature is enabled or you did your last update?

Regards

Caute_cautim

[JKWiniger]

@Caute_cautim I cannot recall the exact fact I want to mention but I seem to remember something about if the person next door taps into your wifi the ISP could actually have legal recourse and it make me wonder if the same thing might apply here. If tons of people access sidewalk then there is a higher load on the ISP to the benefit of Amazon without any compensation to the ISPs. I don't think anything ever became of it but just something I was reminded of.

John-

[Catharine]

Think of this as a smart Sidewalk-enabled neighborhood, borrowing bandwidth from you and your neighbors. The more households that join this network, the bigger it gets.

We want better Wi-Fi, and it's annoying when our connected devices don't work. You don't want your outdoor lights, motion sensors or security cameras going offline.

But at what cost? The first question is just how much of your bandwidth Sidewalk uses. Amazon says the total monthly data is capped at 500MB per account or the rough equivalent of streaming 10 minutes of HD video.

[ericgeater]

I listen to Steve Gibson on Security Now, and his December 8 podcast was somewhat impressed with the tech involved.  He did an exposition using the Amazon Sidewalk Privacy and Security Whitepaper (found at hxxps://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/sidewalk/final_privacy_security_whitepaper.pdf, take out the x's), and if you listen to Steve you're already aware he's a cautious chap.

That being said, there's not a single reason why I need or would benefit from Amazon's fleet of IoT devices.  Having an enmeshed, relatively secure network of Amazon devices doesn't change my dismal opinion about the individual Amazon devices themselves (camera doorbells, smart speakers, towel dryers, hair magnets, smart doorstops, self-writing whiteboards... whatever).

[shopia4342]

Amazon Sidewalk is a feature that allows certain Amazon devices, such as Echo and Ring devices, to share a small portion of your internet bandwidth with nearby devices to improve connectivity. This feature is designed to create a low-bandwidth, shared network to help devices stay connected even if they are out of range of the user's home Wi-Fi.

Tags=  best asus rog mouse

[Early_Adopter]

It’s exiting stuff, especially depending on your ISPs terms of service… the other very notable use of devices like this are the way any apply devices can report a lost devices location back to apple - welcome to the swarm everyone!

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/apples-find-my-app-can-do-more-than-locate-a-lost-ip...

[JoePete]

How could we ever live without the Ring doorbell??!

I propose the embrace of technology follows a parabola - we start as full manual neophytes; invest massively in time, intellect, and money in trying to automate our lives; and then, after experiencing enough failure, we realize the efficiency and elegance of simple (often manual) solutions.

This isn't to say we don't occasionally develop better mousetraps -- all hail the TV remote (just as long as it is not universal remote that is), but the signal to noise ratio is massive.

[Early_Adopter]

Well the ring doorbell is particularly fitted to folk who buy too much on Amazon, with slack delivery services and sticky fingered neighbours. It’s the trap for different mice…

“Be conservative in what you do, liberal in what you accept from others.” - Jon Postel (paraphrasing)

[denbesten]

---

@JoePete wrote:

I propose the embrace of technology follows a parabola

---

Others agree with you.... Gartner Hype Cycle.

[Emily54]

1. Amazon Alexa App:

   • Open the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet.

2. Settings:

   • Tap on the "More" tab at the bottom right corner of the screen.

3. Account Settings:

   • Select "Settings" from the menu.

4. Amazon Sidewalk:

   • Scroll down and tap on "Amazon Sidewalk."

5. Disable Sidewalk:

   • You should see a toggle switch labeled "Amazon Sidewalk." Simply toggle it off to disable the feature.
   • infopulsepro