Society's Child

Amazon just locked a man out of his smart home for a week because a delivery driver reported him as a racist after mishearing something from the doorbell - the guy wasn't even at home

Commodore Vanderbilt
Not the Bee
Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:01 UTC

This story sounds like it comes straight from a dystopian sci-fi novel.

A man found himself locked out of his smart house powered by Amazon because, while he wasn't home, an Amazon delivery driver mistakenly thought he heard a racist remark come from the man's doorbell, reported it to Amazon, and Amazon immediately locked down the account, locking the man out of his home.

Here's what the man accused of racism wrote on Medium:

When I connected with the executive, they asked if I knew why my account had been locked. When I answered I was unsure, their tone turned somewhat accusatory. I was told that the driver who had delivered my package reported receiving racist remarks from my "Ring doorbell."

It turns out that a delivery driver with headphones on imagined he heard something racist from the doorbell, but the owner of the house wasn't even home when the event happened.

He also had cameras all over the property that showed that he was totally innocent.

I reviewed the footage and confirmed that no such comments had been made. Instead, the Eufy doorbell had issued an automated response: "Excuse me, can I help you?" The driver, who was walking away and wearing headphones, must have misinterpreted the message. Nevertheless, by the following day, my Amazon account was locked, and all my Echo devices were logged out.

How insane is this? They locked the man out of his own home from Thursday, May 25, to Wednesday, May 31, 2023.

In the end, my account was unlocked on Wednesday, with no follow-up email to inform me of the resolution.

It's 2023 y'all. Corporations can now lock you out of your home and completely shut down your life if they think you're racist.

Consider this a cautionary tale.

Comment: Why would anyone pay for a service that could potentially lock them out of their homes? Even if the home owner had made a 'racist remark,' how can Amazon justify punishing customers for behavior they don't like? Last we checked, the innocent until proven guilty in a court of law still applies in the US. Amazon should be legally prosecuted for this.

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Reader Comments

Baybars · 2023-06-14T05:18:17Z

LOL!! Woke, cancel culture meets artificial intelligence. I suppose Brandon Jackson, the aggrieved home owner has four booster shots and a Uke flag in his window too.

I wonder if any regulars here at SOTT have their home wired to the IoT?

What's your password? LOL!!!

Spur · 2023-06-14T08:55:56Z

Baybars " I suppose Brandon Jackson, the aggrieved home owner has four booster shots and a Uke flag in his window too." - It should be on a Las Vegas betting forum. I would go with FIVE injections and the Uke flag. - The guy is obviously clueless.

Christian83 · 2023-06-14T09:39:20Z

Spur Let’s Go Brandon!

Let’s Block Brandon!

Artex · 2023-06-14T16:24:30Z

Baybars I use smart lights with Google, but I am also acutely aware that it is listening. I've intentionally disabled targeted marketing from Google which has a side effect that Google Home pays slightly less attention to you. If I host a gathering at my home, I unplug Google Home and use light switches.

I fully intend to "roll my own" home automation that is centralized on my own computer one day. These technologies are fine as long as you don't delude yourself about what they are and the risks you must accept to use them.

Think about this - Google can, and has in the past deleted people's Google accounts for perceived violations of Terms of Service. They get locked out of everything Google touches, which is their email, every login attached to that email (because you can't change your account email if you can't verify the address), youtube, any media you might upload to their cloud (and woe is you if you delete files and images from your devices once they are uploaded.

I picked Google over Amazon because Google already had the most information about me, and I might one day succeed in boycotting everything Amazon. I have a paid email address that I should probably move ALL of my accounts to, but for the most part I still use my hotmail account since Microsoft hasn't made the news for arbitrarily deleting peoples accounts for wrong-think.

Fun story. I once worked for a sandwich shop and we had this one driver that was just kind of odd-looking, maybe vaguely Semitic. One day he goes out to deliver to this old guy, who pegs him for a Jew and starts calling him every name in the book and making threats, for no other reason than how he looked. We trusted the driver was telling the truth, and commiserated that it was awful that had happened. When he asked that the customer be black-listed because he had made threats, the manager said no, we can't do that. That was in the year 2000. Now if you look at someone sideways you might get blacklisted, delisted, deplatformed, and lose your job. Isn't there a happy medium?

Gator ·

Baybars

· 2023-06-14T16:25:03Z

Baybars · 2023-06-14T18:17:44Z

Spur Wow, eh? I would imagine the Darwin effect will take care of Brandon soon enough.

Baybars · 2023-06-14T18:28:24Z

Artex Your idea of a home automation that is centralized on your own computer is the best way to go. I admire your technical ability to even consider such a system. Any 'Ring', 'Amazon' or 'Google' device requires the internet and is therefore outside of the homeowners control.

It is amazing to me how many people do have their homes wired through the internet in some fashion. Many people I know think they are Tony Stark with all their gadgets listening, talking, watching, locking and unlocking.

Humans are generally stupid and afraid. I am sorry for your driver at the sandwich shop but as you say, those were 'innocent' days compared to what we are experiencing now.

I just had a thought. Many pundits suggest that the population won't fight back against our woke, artificial, consensus-driven future until they have nothing left to lose. If Klaus says we will own nothing - that will leave us with nothing left to lose.

Artex · 2023-06-14T18:56:17Z

Baybars Before Google Home and Alexa was Zigbee. Both Google and Alexa are Zigbee compatible and Zigbee is a communications protocol. Now, I don't know a lot about the history of home automation, but I suspect very wealthy people had custom setups using the Zigbee protocol for quite a while before home automation of any kind was available to the consumer market. Anyway, you can still do this, and it's more expensive on the control front, but less expensive for lighting because you have a wider range of compatible devices or you can just use smart sockets (lighting and power) to automate devices that are otherwise cost prohibitive.

This is the guide I'll start with, but ultimately I would like to cannibalize my Google Home devices to maintain voice control using Zigbee and Raspberry Pi computers as home automation servers. (How To Geek) [Link] How to use a Raspberry Pi as a home automation hub [Link]

Baybars · 2023-06-14T20:27:17Z

Artex Oh, excellent links. I have learned a lot in the last few minutes reading them. I will investigate the products further.

That being said, it is necessary for the home owner to 'want' full automation and be able to afford the costs.

I've been an industrial machine designer for forty years. I began at the early stages of industrial welding robots and programmable controllers. My dream WAS to have my life automated because I was very familiar with the technology.

LOL!! NOW my dream is a wood stove, an outhouse, a water bucket and a fishing rod for my log cabin far away from wi-fi and cellular networks.

That is not to say that I don't appreciate today's advancements in technology, it's just that I know well how far it can go in controlling not just your house, but you too.

Artex · 2023-06-14T21:12:48Z

Baybars

it is necessary for the home owner to 'want' full automation and be able to afford the costs.

Oh yes. This is definitely a first-world problem to have and not really a need. But I also like to tinker, and I like to optimize, so if I can find novel ways to use automation which also ends up saving me money (like my Nest thermostat has), and I have can justify the investment, then it's something I want to do.

It's quite convenient for apartment living where I have a limited number of switched lights and can't install new switches, outlets or circuits. I have a bunch of lights that are plugged into the walls and the switches are hidden on wires near the wall or behind furniture. Initially I found a good deal on a Philips Hue lighting kit. Google came later, and both Google and Alexa have frequent discounts on their "listening devices." Without automation, it becomes a chore to turn all the lights on and off. It may have more to do with my wife's need for stadium lighting in the morning than anything else. :D

But like you, when we find a house, it will preferably have a wood stove (rocket stove) and a lot of natural lighting on a wooded property near a navigable (and fishable) body of water.

codis · 2023-06-14T05:22:45Z

Fool !

Got what he deserved.

I hope that helps transitioning from "woke" to "awaken".

parzival · 2023-06-14T05:50:14Z

Babylon Bee, Right? 'Real life' is clown world!

indigo solo · 2023-06-14T07:09:37Z

~~Almost~~ all people became totally stupid from almost two decades ago, when allowed social networks to think for them. With Smart-houses, the power of the big-brother bypassed the digital and became physical. But people still prefer to stay 'updated' than in freedom.

The cancel culture is going to be now the lock-out of your own f*cking home culture.

Psstoffgoy · 2023-06-14T07:31:26Z

Baybars · 2023-06-14T07:41:28Z

Psstoffgoy The Munchkins singing? [Link]

Christian83 · 2023-06-14T08:52:57Z

Maybe the Ring doorbell has become sentient and just wanted some shits n giggles? AI does tend to become quite hostile I tend to notice.

How long until Amazon Security Force is a thing?

I remember me and RC used to joke about it. We could work at the Bee! Lol

Zbigniew · 2023-06-14T09:02:07Z

A man found himself locked out of his smart house powered by Amazon

So it wasn't that man; it was AI „powered by Amazon” the one, who mas making racist remarks (and the driver is the witness). Sue them! In America you can win big money by suing rich corporation.

Taarna · 2023-06-14T10:47:30Z

I would sue both the racist, loser Amazon driver and Amazon for defamation. Of course they're not going to say what this pos driver "thought" they heard but if you already have a racist mind, that's exactly where your mind goes no matter what.

Agree with the SOTT comment - so WHAT if that pos driver was called a name! What right does that give ANY corporation of locking you out of your OWN home?!

Also agree that the homeowner got what they paid for....

ge0m0 · 2023-06-14T12:55:10Z

Breaking news...

A man was locked out of his brain by Musk's Neuralink chip after it reported that he had a thought. At time of writing, the man reported that he has been living in blissful ignorance since then. "It's wild," the man said when contacted for this story. "I just feel fantastic all the time. I don't even recognize where these words are coming from. It's like I've been submerged in a sea of Amrit. That's a Sanskrit word for 'immortality' and often refers to Divine Nectar that is supposed to descend from the Crown Chakra. Ha! I have no idea what I just said. WTF is a Crown Chakra? Who cares if it feels soooo effing good!"

Update: On follow up, the man reported that he has started to spontaneously bi-locate and levitate, has been walking on water for weeks, and has to be careful when serving water to underage people at his day job bussing tables. "It keeps turning into freaking wine!"

Christian83 ·

ge0m0

· 2023-06-14T13:04:31Z

parzival · 2023-06-15T05:23:27Z

ge0m0 As a Follow up:

Said enlightened man was way laid by fearful hominids and killed by the mob. Any lessons that may have been learned through the man's momentary lapse of imprinting has been completely forgotten by the hominids... Chaos in all its forms and expressions continues to be the cherished theme of this Yuga.

Terrestrial report out.

Jamso · 2023-06-14T14:24:34Z

Reminds me of an episode in one of Phillip K. Dick's books, where the protagonist hasn't got five cents to pay his door to open to let him out of his apartment, so can't leave. The door can talk too, and has a 'Hal' like conversation with him.

JTF Truth · 2023-06-14T18:00:10Z

Smart tech is for stupid people. We all know the "i" in front of all Apple product names stands for "Idiot" and not "internet".

F. U. Hard · 2023-06-14T18:07:23Z

"It's 2023 y'all. Corporations can now lock you out of your home and completely shut down your life if they think you're racist"

Not if one doesn't participate. And I for one am going to resist any intrusion into my life like this.

The next day I would cancel everything that has anything whatsoever to do with Amazon.

"the innocent until proven guilty in a court of law still applies in the US"

Not when your rulers, the private corporation is concerned. They own you.

We need a new Magna Carta that protects us from the new kings and queens......the corporations.

parzival · 2023-06-15T05:34:18Z

F. U. Hard Perhaps we need a new Magna Carta that protects ourselves from ourselves, and our choice to make corporations and the state nexus the nanny over us.

Artex · 2023-06-16T13:59:12Z

parzival Our new Magna Carta should specify that the core role of the government is to protect its populace from harm, whether physical or financial, and act in good faith to bargain or work towards the interests of the working class, as the upper class could not exist without them. So much of what governments do is based in making money for politicians. Our government should either find ways to make money to pay for their adventurism or practice austerity with the tax income they collect. They don't even need to provide infrastructure. If the government focused on a role of fair markets, trade, and capitalist practices, you can have private security and infrastructure which couldn't take advantage of (harm) its populace. But laissez-faire capitalism, which our politicians crave more than anything, creates crypto-fascism and/or neo-feudalism that we see today, where the corporations have more power than governments or outright own our government through political dependencies on corporate donations.

parzival · 2023-06-18T08:51:54Z

Artex Liberty is the core political value of modern civilization itself, the one that gives substance and form to all the other values of social life. The toleration of authoritative power makes liberals distinct from libertarians.

Mainstream policy debate largely ignores the constitutional and political-economic dimensions of inequality, and focuses on regulatory and technocratic solutions—limiting banks’ risk profiles, increasing income and wealth transfers, providing more generous education funding, and the like. Those are all laudable goals, but they are too narrow, as earlier generations of reformers would recognize. We don’t need new regulations. We need new institutions, the sort that can check tendencies toward oligarchy.

Labor law offers models of associative bargaining that might be extended to other commercial spheres. For example, perhaps Facebook and Google should be required to bargain with users’ secondary associations over the terms of their privacy policies. User data seems like an emerging fictive commodity alongside labor, land, and money—it is not produced for sale, yet it has a market value—and it should be subject to democratic norms. Perhaps credit card companies should be required to bargain with associations of cardholders over the terms of their consumer arbitration agreements, particularly given the important questions of due process and access to justice involved. Perhaps commercial banks should be required to bargain with account holders or mortgage holders over whether they may enter into higher risk lending or investment practices, given the important interest in financial stability. As always, the devil is in the details, but is it so implausible to think that Facebook and Google users and the like constitute a “community of interest” who deserve a collective voice in such matters? It seems to me that economic and social democracy requires nothing less.

Impure capitalism is the only kind we have ever had. For example, government always accompanied capitalism. Government often served a rising capitalist class to undermine, defeat, and destroy other classes. In the French Revolution, the rising class of merchants, bankers, and small capitalists captured state power and used it to undermine French feudalism. The search for pure capitalism becomes never ending, because it is impossible. Throughout the development of early capitalism in the Italian merchant banks, through to the Industrial Revolution and onto the rise of Fordist and post-Fordist modes of production, the state has always been a mechanism for capital accumulation and the production of profit. Monopoly has always accompanied capitalism, with markets being one of many tools for further growth and accumulation which are at no point freed from the anchor of states and quasi-governmental institutions.

The answer is limited government (or, ideally, no government). It is government that has the coercive power to extract wealth for the benefit of clients, whether they be big corporations or poor welfare constituencies. Without big government, these companies would constantly be forced to satisfy their customers to stay in business, i.e. they would be forced to continue to add value to the economy, rather than extract value.

JTF Truth ·

parzival

· 2023-06-18T14:41:22Z

ge0m0 · 2023-06-18T14:56:31Z

Artex the core role of the government is to protect its populace from harm, whether physical or financial, and act in good faith to bargain or work towards the interests of the working class, as the upper class could not exist without them

Or, we could govern in a way that the US Constitution intended, whereby government has a singular and exceedingly simple role: protect natural rights. The mechanisms by which that is done, and what it is that are defined as rights and by whom, is where it gets messy. The Constitution was supposed to provide a framework for dispensing such governance. The problem is, for those who know the game the system is easy to abuse, and for those who don't, they don't know what they don't know.

Artex · 2023-06-20T16:43:44Z

parzival the state has always been a mechanism for capital accumulation and the production of profit.

Funny they need to tax our income then. Seems to me they fail to produce capital in modern civilization without theft from members of society who are geographically captive to government, which somehow lays claim to all land in the world whether it is being utilized or not.

I don't know what "pure capitalism" would look like, but unregulated trade leads to monopolies, and monopolies are almost never in the interest of the end consumer, or the government at large. While the politicians themselves may profit from donations of monopolistic entities, they're so good at avoiding taxes that they actually drain the nation monetarily. And then the poor prop up the tax base since they can't afford to use the same tricks the wealthy use to avoid paying taxes. Also, the obscenely wealthy can barely fathom the problem unless they actually started out as poor as the bottom 20%.

Anyway, I like what you wrote, but that stuck out to me.

Artex · 2023-06-20T16:47:02Z

ge0m0 Agreed. Basically what I was meaning. The problem is that there has been intentional effort to undermine the constitution and part of that is changing the definition of key terms and phrases, legally. And that's why things get nasty any time we need to replace a SCOTUS justice. The vast majority of our politicians are lawyers now, and what kind of governance can you expect from persons who excel at finding and abusing loopholes?

parzival · 2023-06-21T06:37:14Z

Artex Agreed... Taxed to death... So many different taxes, and so regressive! Thanks !

Amerikagulag · 2023-06-16T05:25:43Z

Turns out falling for anything labeled smart is, well, not so wise after all.

codis · 2023-06-16T07:25:26Z

Amerikagulag In fact, it is another case in point that "smart" now actually means it controls you.

With "you" meaning the fools that fall for the empty promise of convenience and social-status-display.

We'll need a scoop shovel to clear this out.

guard4her

Besides: without CO2 we won't have neither soda water nor champagne. :(

Zbigniew

Would someone please read this to the "leaders" who keep trying to shut the world down because CO2.

ReRan

There is no word on what caused the fire. I heard a small grey midget(?) was seen there carrying a bottle full of gasoline…

Zbigniew

'salvage rigged elections and topple unsavoury regimes.' 'Ten months after the success in Belgrade' 'the Belarus hardman' The Guardian eh? It...

Peter Jennings

Society's Child

Amazon just locked a man out of his smart home for a week because a delivery driver reported him as a racist after mishearing something from the doorbell - the guy wasn't even at home

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