About Amazon Sidewalk
Because of devices like Echo, Eero, and Ring, Amazon now has a major footprint in many of our homes. Now that it is such a large part of so many of our daily lives, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of Amazon’s approach to privacy, which is why we think it’s important to explain the ramifications of Amazon Sidewalk.
Below, we’ll outline what we think you should understand about Amazon Sidewalk, the ramifications of using it, and how to opt out if you’re not comfortable.
What is Amazon Sidewalk?
Sharing your internet bandwidth with the neighborhood to create a collective network is the premise of the Amazon Sidewalk, a new feature recently released by the tech giant. The service has been automatically enabled in every compatible Amazon gadget, which ranges from Echo to Ring devices. For now, the feature is only available in the U.S.
Sidewalk plans to connect smart home devices (such as light bulbs, speakers, and security cameras) to a network outside the reach of the Wi-Fi signal. The idea is that each user contributes a portion of their bandwidth, which is then pooled together so all devices in that neighborhood can make use of it. The more people in the community participate, the better it works. According to Amazon, the devices will have a limited speed of 80 kbps and a maximum data consumption per account of 500MB per month (the equivalent to streaming about 10 minutes of high-definition video).
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Additionally, the tech-giant says that the new feature “can help simplify new device setup, extend the low-bandwidth working range of devices to help find pets or valuables with Tile Trackers.” Sidewalk functions by using Bluetooth and 900MHz radio signals.
However, the new feature is raising some privacy concerns among users. Amazon has attempted to address the issue, saying that no personal data will be shared, and “multiple layers of encryption” are in place to guarantee the users’ privacy and security. In fact many privacy experts believe that the Amazon Sidewalk program will create a benefit for consumers, because it extends device ranges through a distributed network (improving device performance inside and outside of the home) while capping the total monthly data used by each home network to just 500mb (the equivalent of streaming about 10 or 15 minutes of HD video).
From a privacy perspective the Amazon Sidewalk network is most likely secure. That’s not to say it’s without risk — particularly as it’s untested on a large scale — but Amazon has clearly anticipated many of the privacy concerns surrounding this new feature, even going so far as creating an entire whitepaper on the subject. But if you have concerns about it, or if you just prefer not to share more with Amazon than you absolutely have to, keep reading for information on how to opt out.
How to Opt Out of Amazon Sidewalk
In the Alexa app:
Open the Alexa app
At the bottom-right of the home screen, click More
Go to Settings > Account Settings > Amazon Sidewalk
Toggle the “Enabled” button off
In the Ring app:
Open the Ring app
Click on the three-lined-icon in the upper-left of the screen
Select Control Center
Select Amazon Sidewalk
Toggle the “Enabled” button off
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