Amazon customers have only one week left to pull out the Sidewalk service of the tech giant. The feature has garnered a lot of attention among those who want to have a wireless system service, but the company would reportedly share your internet connection with your neighbor.
Despite the improved services that the firm promises, Amazon would install the mesh network feature in the Sidewalk. Here's how you can opt out before this week ends.
Amazon Sidewalk: What Really is it?
Amazon Echo
Imagine a large network that serves Amazon users. The Sidewalk works the same as a bandwidth-sharing arrangement that aims to spread its "mesh network" service to everyone.
As an example, the product resembles smart lighting that could be placed on your garage or any property depending on the user's preference. Moreover, Sidewalk lets your friends have "connectivity support" and it would persist to operate even though the service goes online for a moment.
According to the company, Sidewalk could improve the connectivity speed of the system--like in the case of a pet-finder device. You can quickly track your lost cat who has been lost outside your house through the personal network.
Even though this sounds agreeable to some users, some reported that the mesh network service could affect concerns involving data security and privacy.
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The Privacy Concerns Behind Amazon Sidewalk
According to The Guardian, the idea could be envisioned like you are allowing your neighbors to have shared access with your network. Amid concerns that spark involving promises to keep the user's data secured and safe, some privacy could be bypassed under certain circumstances.
Moreover what's dangerous here is the accidental exposure of the Ring users' geo-coordinates which could unearth some information. What's even worse is the Ring cameras' hackability which has pushed the company to face a class-action lawsuit.
Even though Amazon said that it has now a thorough "designed privacy protections," some users are skeptical that it would handle privacy issues utmost. The company said that the privacy and security features are fixed into the system -- and this includes the three-layered encryption of Sidewalk.
While this appears to be a good trademark, it would only harm the users--and give more help to the hackers who are only sitting in front of their computers.
How to Opt-Out Amazon Sidewalk
Gizmodo reported that here are the effective ways on how to reject the mesh network feature. You can follow these easy steps for your peace of mind.
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For those who use the Echo, begin with opening your Alexa app. Next, access More, then click Settings. After that, click the Account Settings, and go to the Amazon Sidewalk to turn it off.
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If you are a Ring device user, you can access this website or the Ring app control center so you could leave the Sidewalk as-is.
For the most part, the wireless sharing experiment of the company looks promising, but for now, take a step back, and let's see what happens in the next week.
Related Article: Amazon Sideline Will Share Your WiFi With Neighbors By Default - How to Opt Out?
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
