Amazon stealing your broadband bandwidth to share with others.

[Gromett]

This is only in the US for now, but no doubt it will eventually come here.

If you use Alexa, Echo, or any other Amazon device, you have only 10 days to opt out of an experiment that leaves your personal privacy and security hanging in the balance.

On June 8, the merchant, Web host, and entertainment behemoth will automatically enroll the devices in Amazon Sidewalk. The new wireless mesh service will share a small slice of your Internet bandwidth with nearby neighbors who don’t have connectivity and help you to their bandwidth when you don’t have a connection.

By default, Amazon devices including Alexa, Echo, Ring, security cams, outdoor lights, motion sensors, and Tile trackers will enroll in the system. And since only a tiny fraction of people take the time to change default settings, that means millions of people will be co-opted into the program whether they know anything about it or not. The Amazon webpage linked above says Sidewalk "is currently only available in the US."

Full story here.

Amazon devices will soon automatically share your Internet with neighbors

Amazon’s experimental wireless mesh networking turns users into guinea pigs.

arstechnica.com

 

[JohnJan]

Would it be possible to have a look at the positives of this as well just in case it isn't an apocalyptic threat?

 

[63720]

BT are already doing this with their home hubs, a free internet hotspot is available to any passing customer via your WiFi. It all comes down the one cable.

 

[Pausim]

BT are already doing this with their home hubs, a free internet hotspot is available to any passing customer via your WiFi. It all comes down the one cable.

I believe it only uses spare capacity and in return you get free use of other hotspots i.e. BT Wifi and Wifi X. The use of their numerous hotspots free is probably the only reason we stay with BT. With a Solwise aerial and 12V router we often get wifi connections when out and about in the motorhome and save our phone app updates for when we are visiting towns and villages with hotspots to save using phone data.

 

[Odd-no-more]

I'm with Virgin I think they do it as well, I haven't bothered as I have more data than I use

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gromett]

BT are already doing this with their home hubs, a free internet hotspot is available to any passing customer via your WiFi. It all comes down the one cable.

BT is opt in though isn't it? Amazon are doing it automatically unless you opt out. How many people read these emails?

 

[Pausim]

BT is opt in though isn't it? Amazon are doing it automatically unless you opt out. How many people read these emails?

BT is opt out but it doesn’t seem to affect download, they throttle you to your purchased download speed anyway and appear to use spare line capacity for hotspots. As far as I can tell it is a separate channel and not mixed up with your paid for connection. You are paying for the electricity to power it but that seems a reasonable exchange for free use of thousands of hotspots.

 

[Gromett]

BT is opt out but it doesn’t seem to affect download, they throttle you to your purchased download speed anyway and appear to use spare line capacity for hotspots. As far as I can tell it is a separate channel and not mixed up with your paid for connection. You are paying for the electricity to power it but that seems a reasonable exchange for free use of thousands of hotspots.

There is also the fact that BT hubs don't have any smarts. So privacy is not really an issue.

 

[grumps147]

Thanks for the heads up on this Gromett .