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Amazon Delivery Drivers’ Smart Glasses Will Photograph Homes and Passersby
Amazon delivery drivers will soon wear smart glasses that take pictures almost constantly, sending them to the company for analysis by people and an AI system. Bloomberg columnist Dave Lee described the plan on Wednesday.
The glasses will photograph whatever is in view, which includes neighbours and front yards along a delivery route.
The Verge, in a story by Stevie Bonifield, said Bloomberg's reporting puts the total at several thousand captures during a single driver's typical shift. Amazon plans to upload them to an AI platform called Wellspring.
What the Glasses Do
Amazon has said the glasses let drivers scan packages, see walking directions in their line of sight, capture proof of delivery and receive pet alerts, all without using a phone. The company announced them almost a year ago.
The photos are expected to be about the same quality as the quick pictures drivers already take when they leave a package, The Verge reported.
Privacy Protections Amazon Describes
Viraj Chatterjee of Amazon told Bloomberg the company's systems will blur people and license plates before images reach human reviewers. He said Amazon uses the data to improve deliveries and that surveillance was never the aim.
Amazon also confirmed to Bloomberg that law enforcement could obtain the glasses' images with a warrant. The company has not said how long it will keep them.
Customers Have No Stated Way to Opt Out
Asked whether customers could opt out of having their property photographed, Chatterjee told Bloomberg that Amazon had not thought about it.
Customers also appear to have no way to view images of themselves or their homes, or to ask for them to be deleted, The Verge said.
The devices may capture people and homes without their consent, and the glasses could add to the pressure on drivers to move faster.
Drivers Already Work Under Cameras
The Verge noted that AI cameras inside delivery vehicles have drawn complaints from drivers, who said the system failed to register fastened seat belts and pushed them to pull over just to drink coffee. Footage from those cameras has also leaked online.
Lee wrote that he expects Amazon to face another privacy backlash, and that the company believes customers will welcome faster, more reliable deliveries.