Connect with us

CNET

Amazon Sidewalk: Everything we know (and don’t know)

Amazon now lets other people’s devices in your neighborhood connect to the cloud through your Echo and Ring devices, using a tiny bit of your bandwidth. That might help keep your devices online, but is it a risk to your privacy, or a problem for your data cap? Subscribe to CNET: Like us on Facebook:…

Published

on

Amazon now lets other people’s devices in your neighborhood connect to the cloud through your Echo and Ring devices, using a tiny bit of your bandwidth. That might help keep your devices online, but is it a risk to your privacy, or a problem for your data cap?

Subscribe to CNET:
Like us on Facebook:
Follow us on Twitter:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on TikTok:

0:00 Intro
0:33 Sidewalk basics
1:56 Security measures
2:52 Turning off Sidewalk
3:42 Data usage
5:03 Pressing questions
6:30 Conclusion

Continue Reading
Advertisement
26 Comments

26 Comments

  1. Lawrence Lim

    July 2, 2021 at 2:48 pm

    Please do not opt-out. I recently got a tile tracker and the number of people using sidewalk will increase the mesh network that tile tracking devices have. Therefore, is I lose my keys, there is a greater chance that I can find them.

    If everyone were to opt out, my tile tracker will basically become useless and lack the mesh network needed to be a feasible tracker for my lost items.

    Think of it like the mesh network that Apple utilized for airtags. Without the network of Amazon devices, my Tile functionality will be virtually nonexistent. Furthermore, just like Apple’s air tags, there should be security measures to protect the data packets that piggy-back between devices.

  2. Thomas Schick

    July 2, 2021 at 2:52 pm

    Ear tags for Sheeple…

  3. Husky Chugs

    July 2, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    Sick mullet bro

  4. Got Em

    July 2, 2021 at 3:39 pm

    “it deletes the data every 24 hours” ya sure amazon….., what ever you say boss

  5. Kyle Shields

    July 2, 2021 at 4:14 pm

    Y’all making easy for people to track your every move. People like criminals and the government.

  6. martian romeo

    July 2, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    Who said they could use our bandwith

  7. martian romeo

    July 2, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    They best be paying the user premium for every bite of there data there useing of someone’s data

  8. martian romeo

    July 2, 2021 at 4:35 pm

    I want a dollar a meg for every meg they use of our data

  9. Ninja Nerd Student #69

    July 2, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    Untrackable until the cyborgs rise!

  10. Ninja Nerd Student #69

    July 2, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    I just have a fire stick that I rarely ever use. I will just unplug it.

  11. e3vL1

    July 2, 2021 at 6:26 pm

    Sounds like apple air tag. Can you even op out on your iphone?

  12. Piyush Jain

    July 2, 2021 at 6:45 pm

    When you setup a new amazon device they would highlight this feature and ask to turn it off if you need to. This is different than simply calling it “On by Default”

  13. Piyush Jain

    July 2, 2021 at 6:48 pm

    That ending didn’t sound unbiased!

  14. Laurin Collins

    July 2, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    No and no way.

  15. Cliff Barr

    July 2, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    Amazon shares Ring video data with local police. I don’t recall that was an original intent either. At first it sounds harmless enough, then you find out that AI doesn’t not accurately identify POC. You also find out that your neighbor has significant others visit during the workday. And so on, and so on.

    At some point in the near future, luxury will be “turning off and tuning out”. No phones, Alexa, Siri, 5G, laptops. Nothing.

  16. Auroramystic

    July 2, 2021 at 6:55 pm

    I thought amazon doesn’t own tile

    • Aaron Lane

      July 2, 2021 at 9:41 pm

      it could just be a partnership agreement

  17. Devin Johnson

    July 2, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    I turned mine off as soon as i heard about this.

  18. Todd Horvath

    July 2, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    No mullets please

  19. Nick

    July 2, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    CRINGE

  20. Kote Kipiani

    July 2, 2021 at 8:27 pm

    Capitalism on its form 😌

  21. Aaron Lane

    July 2, 2021 at 9:41 pm

    I am so glad to have gotten rid of my Amazon account.

  22. Rex Cosmos

    July 2, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    Nice shirt

  23. Jolan Rensen

    July 2, 2021 at 10:57 pm

    It’s funny how when apple uses all their phones and tablets share location of trackers and devices across all it’s fine by everyone and when Amazon explains its 3 layer encryption people start complaining.
    Still it’s very important all is secure and opt-out of course 🙂

  24. Soma

    July 2, 2021 at 11:31 pm

    We’re just going to ignorre this guys bitchin’ mullet huh? Cool, cool, cool.

  25. E-ric

    July 3, 2021 at 12:57 am

    I’ve been watching information about Amazon Sidewalk for some months now and, I’m afraid it triggers my paranoia beyond what I’m willing to tolerate. I did find the toggle to disable the sidewalk feature under 3 layers in settings of the Alexa app on my phone, it took some digging to locate it. While I was in the app I also found something disturbing, all of my interaction history with my Echo device was still present (years back) even though I had (or so I thought) deleted it multiple times. My thought is, what prevents Amazon from turning this sidewalk feature back on during a firmware update ? Bottom line Sidewalk was/is something I didn’t want or ask for. Now my Echo has been wiped clean to the best of my ability, disconnected and, lives in its box on a closet shelf as well as the Alexa app being removed from my phone. It would have been nice if Amazon would have made Sidewalk a opt in app that was downloadable if “you” chose to add that feature to your Echo, Ring and other devices.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CNET

Checking Out the Afeela Prototype

Tech reporter Abrar Al-Heeti got the chance to check out the Sony x Honda Afeela prototype at TechCrunch Disrupt. Here’s what she found inside. #techcrunchdisrupt #sonyafeela #sony #honda #cars Subscribe to CNET on YouTube: Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉 Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront: Follow us on TikTok: Follow us…

Published

on

Tech reporter Abrar Al-Heeti got the chance to check out the Sony x Honda Afeela prototype at TechCrunch Disrupt. Here’s what she found inside. #techcrunchdisrupt #sonyafeela #sony #honda #cars

Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on X:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Visit CNET.com:

Continue Reading

CNET

Unboxing the PlayStation 5 Pro

We got our hands on the PlayStation 5 Pro. Let’s unbox it and compare it to the PS5 and PS5 Slim. #ps5pro #playstation5 #playstation #gaming #unboxing Subscribe to CNET on YouTube: Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉 Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront: Follow us on TikTok: Follow us on Instagram: Follow…

Published

on

We got our hands on the PlayStation 5 Pro. Let’s unbox it and compare it to the PS5 and PS5 Slim. #ps5pro #playstation5 #playstation #gaming #unboxing

Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on X:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Visit CNET.com:

Continue Reading

CNET

A Helium-Filled Cell Tower in the Sky

We visited Sceye’s hangar in Roswell, New Mexico to learn about the company’s High Altitude Platform System (HAPS), which is designed to provide internet services to underserved communities and conduct Earth observation with partners including NASA and USGS. Read more on CNET.com: Launching Balloon-Like Infrastructure for the Stratosphere 0:00 Intro to Sceye’s HAPS 0:39 What…

Published

on

We visited Sceye’s hangar in Roswell, New Mexico to learn about the company’s High Altitude Platform System (HAPS), which is designed to provide internet services to underserved communities and conduct Earth observation with partners including NASA and USGS.

Read more on CNET.com:
Launching Balloon-Like Infrastructure for the Stratosphere

0:00 Intro to Sceye’s HAPS
0:39 What does Sceye do?
2:00 How does Sceye’s HAPS fly and operate?
3:01 Sceye HAPS design
3:13 Sceye Control Center and Launch
5:04 How big is Sceye’s HAPS

Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on X:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Visit CNET.com:

#sceye #balloon #haps #wifi #nasa

Continue Reading

Trending