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Before the end of 2020, Amazon will launch a new feature called Sidewalk that creates small, public internet networks powered by Echo smart speakers and Ring home security products in your neighborhood.
Amazon notes that this does not replace your normal home wifi network and will only support certain low power internet features through Bluetooth. This could be useful if you want to place a Ring security device on your property but your home wifi network doesn’t go far enough. Sidewalk also includes a “Community Finder” feature that will make location monitors like animal trackers and Tile beacons more efficient and easier to find if lost.
To use these features, Sidewalk asks your neighbors to have Amazon Sidewalk compatible products (which Amazon calls “bridges”) that your content can connect to (and vice versa). However, Amazon takes a proactive approach and Sidewalk enabled by default for all applicable devices.
Yes, you read that right: Sidewalk will be a deactivation feature for all applicable Amazon devices when it launches in the next few days. New Alexa accounts and devices will also be automatically enrolled in the future. And there’s a good chance that most people who buy Amazon gear have no idea what Sidewalk is, or stumble upon it in their device’s options and turn it off.
Is Amazon Sidewalk Safe?
Amazon’ data confidentiality balance sheet is of poor quality, but to the company’s credit, it provides a lot of information on Sidewalk’s privacy protocols and data use measures.
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All Sidewalk networks are triple encrypted, and Amazon uses several additional security features to hide the identity and data of each user. You will not know who is using your network, nor the precise locations of connected devices, even when you use the “Community search” feature (it only provides the general location of the device you are looking for).
The company also promises that Sidewalk will not drain Internet bandwidth from your home network; at most, Sidewalk will use 500MB of data per month and 80Kbps of bandwidth at any given time. Half a gig is a bit of data to give up if you’re on a hard limit, but it would take less than an hour to eclipse that amount if you’re streaming high-definition media or downloading large files.
How to disable or customize Amazon Sidewalk in the Alexa app
Sidewalk might be a good idea that won’t divert tons of energy and data from your network, and it’s clear Amazon is taking the right security precautions, but making Sidewalk a choice.outside service instead of opt-in is quite frustrating.
If you don’t agree with Amazon’s big Sidewalk plans, you can customize Sidewalk settings for all of your devices in the Alexa mobile app. Go to Settings> Account Settings> Amazon Sidewalk. From there you have a few options:
- Tap “Community search” to turn off coarse location sharing, but let your devices use Sidewalk, or
- Tap “Amazon Sidewalk” to turn it off completely.
[TechHive]
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