Amazon has decided to offer a new service that seems innocent on the surface. The retailer has begun photographing packages left at homes and sending that picture to the customer’s email address to help them locate packages that may have been hidden.
It all seems so innocent. But is it? According to Natural News, Amazon’s new service is meant to help customers find where their package was left while they were at work or out running errands, especially if it was intentionally tucked behind a bush or a flower pot to keep it hidden from potential thieves. Amazon has a good reason for taking pictures of the homes packages are delivered to, but that doesn’t make it any less creepy and privacy concerns are now, once again at the forefront.
Especially considering USA Today reported that this new “feature” is being rolled out almost silently. Amazon has been quietly expanding a program over the past few months in which some of its delivery providers take a picture of where they put your package. The photo is included in the notice of delivery received by shoppers so they know when it arrived and where to look for it.
Amazon Logistics Photo On Delivery is “one of many delivery innovations we’re working on to improve convenience for customers,” Amazon spokesperson Kristen Kish said. The Photo on Delivery program has existed for at least six months, but recently Amazon updated the delivery device and app used by delivery personnel in its Amazon Logistics delivery system called Rabbit by drivers. Now, all Logistics drivers can take a photo. This has made the program more visible to a broader geographic swath of Amazon customers nationwide. It’s currently available at least in the Seattle, San Francisco, and Northern Virginia metro areas and only comprises a small portion of U.S. deliveries.
This feature is rolling out as Amazon increasingly asks its customers to accept its constant presence in their homes, from a voice-activated speaker that records snippets of commands to a high-tech entry system that allows delivery personnel to enter their home. It’s like Amazon is looking for ways to try to make people more comfortable with major violations of their privacy and personal space.
And when it comes to Amazon, concerns over privacy violations are more often than not legitimate, especially considering the fact that the electronic commerce giant has a history of spying and surveillance. Just a few months ago, the Daily Mail published an article on “Amazon’s creepy plan to put a camera and microphone in every bedroom” with the launch of the Echo Spot’s “smart alarm.”
But at least for now, you can opt out of having pictures taken of your home. For those who’d prefer not to have photos of their doors or shrubbery sent to them, customers can opt out of the service on the Amazon website under the help and customer service tab.
Let me know you’re coming…I’ll sweep the porch and wash the windows. don’t want them to think i live in a dump.
People are getting upset over nothing with this. They ONLY reason they are taking pictures of the package is PROOF they delivered it. That way when the package is stolen, tough shit on the homeowner. They got proof it was delivered.
They are just selling this as a “service” when it is really another way of screwing you over.
The foil hat society will think Amazon is out to get them.
I don’t do business with those NWO faggots anyway. Drive by and get a picture of me mooning you and a middle finger too! Some idiots just love funding their own demise just to save a dollar or two….. PATHETIC!
My God, they leave no stone unturned don’t they? Hell, why don’t they just come in and make a pot of coffee for me or get dinner prepped while I’m out when they come around? At least do something useful like cut the damned grass or feed the cat maybe. Ooops, shouldn’t give them any more ideas now should I?
They’re actually working on a program to install a camera IN your house and they give you a special lock for your door, that they have a key for, so they can deliver the F-ing package inside your OWN HOUSE! No joke!
Jim, I smell a rat with this one. Ever since my break-in 2-and-a-half years ago I’ve been wary of anything and everything like this. To hell with Amazon. I occasionally get some items on Ebay and they have better deals than Amazon.
Hell ya! Ebay is great, amazon is a monster from hell. I don’t give a shit how much cheaper something is on amazon, I REFUSE TO BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM!
It is also available in Florida. So far I have allowed them to take a picture of the package, since they seem to deliver them to wrong house occasionally. I have already received a picture that was of my package up against not my door. I had to go down the street to find it. So far picture is only of package and a small piece of house, like bottom of door, or shrubs. Far less intrusive than Floridas public access policy that you can look at tax records on line and see who owns the house, picture of house, value and sales record. As far as these units like Alexa, it ain’t coming in my house.
Just checked with Amazon – listen all – you cannot ‘opt-out’ by their own words until AFTER the photo is taken. Read their own words, “Shipping & Delivery › General Shipping Information›
Opt Out of Photo on Delivery You can stop AMZL from taking a photo on delivery by opting out of this feature. When you view a photo on delivery in Your Orders, click Don’t take delivery photos.” See that last? “When you view a photo…” means they are going to take the damned pic first. And from the sound of it, you will have to ‘opt-out’ every single time you might order and get a package delivered. No account setting option.
Why would you buy anything from them in the first place? Because your an idiot? Because you saved 2 bux? Because you don’t give a shit that you fund your own demise? Because you love being tracked all the time? Please explain WHY anyone with an IQ over 70 buys shit there…..
Think you better loosen up your tinfoil hat, it seems to be cutting off circulation.
Too true. If I need something, I patronize local brick-and-mortar stores. If an item isn’t in stock, they can either order it for you or say where it can be obtained. It seems good to keep the local economy running by using it. I also prefer to see the quality of an item first before purchasing. Mail order or online ordering is too much hassle in the long run; no need to spend my hard-earned dollars and time on making returns on hunk products.
Do NOT have anyone/company deliver to your home, period.
Find a business you trust and have EVERYTHING delivered there.
Amazon is now in the business of privacy invasion huh, what’s next having a Drone deliver the packages and a Smart Phone that can be used as a surveillance device? Opps, already there folks.
Heartless, we can ‘opt-out’ ahead of time by simply NOT doing business with Amazon. Go to Ebay instead. They also have better deals. F%$# Amazon.
True TDBh…. but I must admit to using Amazon for business. When I order specialty cams, monitors, various mounting systems, converters, specialty items (sat track devices, networking hubs and routers….) (and in keeping with not hiding anything …. I do order for my own explosive pleasures – items for those scarey black things I’ve in abundance around here) I’ve found that it’s darned hard to beat the prices. Delivery is to the second darned near. I can depend on what I need being here when they say. I’ve never found that true with EBay (and add in PayPal is rife with hack backdoors). It’s not that I don’t agree with you; it is just that darn…. a guy’s gotta make a living and when you need a part, you need the darned part (usually yesterday).
Heartless, I understand your reasons for using Amazon. I would use them to some degree if it wasn’t for this BS. I just don’t see any good reason for them to take any pictures of my home. Prior to my break-in back on Thanksgiving 2015 my home was probably cased by whatever black male scum broke and took my guns but I’ll never be able to prove it. Reading this article brought back memories of that and gave me chills down my spine. If there’s another burglary attempt I’ll just end up shooting the mofo and be done with it.
I agree–I have never ‘not’ received an order from Amazon; package comes by UPS or Fedex.
Weird…I received two tavel clothes bags and I noticed the online notice of wrong package said do not return the wrong package—so, I guess I now have two travel clothes bags.
The order is processed and delivered so fast, I do believe the horror stories of employees there.
Ebay has most everything amazon has. One bad thing is some ebay sellers resell amazon stuff. That pisses me off to no end when I get that. Ebay needs to identify sellers that pull that shit. And JJ, aren’t you just a specious shopper on amazon…. (puke).
Reasonable expectation of privacy? This is the legal question. The outside of your house is usually fair game. People need to be careful not to put anything on line that you don’t want anyone else to know. Nothing is really private on the internet.
Today there is no expectation of privacy. Google takes pictures of your house and puts them on line. If your neighbor is selling their house, the agent has a drone take pictures of the neighborhood and puts them on line. Anyone can and does take pictures of your house and can do as they please with them. The cops go by and take pictures of your house and vehicles all the time. A neighbors security cameras can take videos of everyone coming and going at your house.
Anyone familiar with Google Earth??
So, what’s the big deal??
I can look at your house now and case it for burglary if I want.
THAT..is a pet peeve of mine when 10 years ago, I was house hunting. Next door to me is a sell or not factor.
I had to go to the house to see what was next door–PITA.
The realtor knows to not show the neighbors in many cases when it deters lookers.
Gosh–I had to look up how to spell peeve—duh! I must not have used it ever??
Everybody likes to open packages but they could send you a bomb.
Well….. I take a picture of them taking a picture.
So there.
Stupid is best when recursive.
Most times I go to a brick and mortar store. Use it or lose it.
Every intermediary between the producer and consumer becomes parasitic. I avoid Amazon and this new info just reinforces my suspicions.
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You would be surprised how many broke nobodies are on the fbi snitch payroll including landscapers from south of the border, to drug addicts, hookers, and domestic maids.
_ privacy is being sabotaged in ever increasing ways until the very concept, like our true history, is erased; and a new fake concept becomes believed the way it has always been. In a hundred years the word “privacy” will be removed from books and forgotten, except by the masters of the universe, the Devils incarnate.
The statue of President Thomas Jefferson, arguably our greatest statesman, has been taken down at one of our tax receiving colleges because the school deems him a racist. That is what Communists do when they take over.
Is Amazon Communist ???
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Can someone tell me which branch of the government are they collecting this data for, IRS? Property tax people? Is there no privacy left?
Texas boy:
Is the IRS part of the government? I don’t think so. I believe the IRS is part of the Federal Reserve. There was no income tax until the establishment of “The Fed” in 1913.
Sheep get sheared. The Bible says “My people suffer for lack of knowledge”. Yep, we does do suffer cause we don’t know we being tricked, hoodwinked, robbed blind.
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B from CA, I also use local stores but I live near a small town and there isn’t a lot of choice. Internet is on ebay or comapany direct sales. Walmart, amazon, target, can all stick it.
Very rarely do I ever get a delivery direct to my home. I do a lot of business with Amazon but most all of it goes to a PO box. If FedEx or UPS show up they leave it outside my fenced yard, well away from the main house. It may have something to do with the 5 barking dogs at the gate. The dogs are not a danger, they are just “door bells”. The owner, me, is the dangerous guy.
Another snoop and snitch operation.
They scan it , photograph it, and then steal it. Done so you can’t make a claim. I’ve witnessed this done with the US mail, all but the photograph. The insurance did pay though.
Okay!!! With the awful porch pirates scenarios in every city, can you blame Amazon??
It has to be cutting in to profits when your price is already less than other sites’ quote.
Many homeowners who have not recently listed their home for sale with online photos and have actually owned their homes for many years yet there are several photos posted online of the outside of their home taken from a few different angles. All you have to do is google their address and there it is, often with their car parked in the driveway.
Or you can google their name and find out where they live, their exact address, and then check out photos of their house including it’s floor plan, square footage, estimated value and property taxes. That’s just wrong.
Don’t buy anything. I keep my $ from all retail business. Haven’t bought anything in a long time. Spend most of my time working and taking $ from a corporation don’t have time to use products. Keep life simple cus I wanna simply live. I’m not a consumer. They don’t like people like me.
If you still use Amazon you are a reincarnated Nazi.
Fuck CIAmazon, Fuck Bezos.
You most likely survived before CIAmazon existed and if you think you can’t survive without them, well you are on SHTFplan.com after all you fucking pathetic pussies.
Amazon can eat a dick. I won’t buy shit from them.
oh lordy Mac….there is no expectation of privacy past a closed front door or window blind…anything that can be seen from a public street, passerbys view or without the aid of enhancement, such as binoculars..Ummm..such as an open front porch, is not private and therefore, this wouldnt be deemed as “an invasion of privacy”. I wont even get into google earth & sat-map data over ones house, backyard ,etc…
Its also not IoP, when you utilize a service that, by doing so, you then grant them access to the front porch…no different than if you invite a repairman, police, inspector, etc into your house, IoP goes out the window for anything left in plain view.
No wonder the commie left thinks us all to be tin foil hat wearing retards..articles like this, make us look exactly that.
I have delivered for amazon flex, the pics are to show a 4’x4′ area where the package is located on the customer’s property near the front door, but less visible from the street. You don’t want the pic taken, stand at the front door to receive your package. (You can track your packages in real time via the website dashboard or the app on your phone). Everyone wants mcDelivery service to their house, but nobody wants to secure their purchases while they are gone to work…
Here’s a thought, get a jobsite toolbox, chain it out front when you are expecting deliveries, then instruct the delivery driver to lock the lid once the package(s) are delivered – its what people I deliver to in Auburn (a rural area north of sacramento do all the time….NOTHING is pick-proof, but criminals of convienience won’t bother.