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PSA: Disable Amazon Sidewalk by June 8th so your Internet connection isn't shared by neighbors $1

5,934 1,209 May 31, 2021 at 06:23 AM in Tech & Electronics
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Did not see this publicized anywhere but a family member sent me an article. You are opted in unless you opt out. May have until June 8th to opt out. See instructions below:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2...neighbors/

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Last Edited by MozartA June 7, 2021 at 02:17 PM
Looks like if you don't have currently enabled Amazon Sidewalk devices, you won't have the option in your Alexa setting to turn it off(?)

So later on additional device become enabled, you need to turn off Amazon Sidewalk at that time??? Meaning if Amazon suddenly enable older gen Echo (or other device currently not in the list) to act as sidewalk, then at later time, the option to turn it off will be available and someone need to remind you to turn off sidewalk???

Or in the future you buy newer echo devices, then need to remind yourself to turn off sidewalk at that time....

Quote from purpledime18 :

OK. Find this.

What Devices Are Sidewalk Enabled?

As of June 2021, the following devices can act as Amazon Sidewalk bridges:

Ring Floodlight Cam (2019)
Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019)
Ring Spotlight Cam Mount (2019)
Echo (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Dot (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Dot for Kids (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Dot with Clock (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Plus (all generations)
Echo Show (2nd gen)
Echo Show 5, 8, 10 (all generations)
Echo Spot
Echo Studio
Echo Input
Echo Flex


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Joined Oct 2017
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splayer100
06-07-2021 at 11:40 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:40 AM.
Question: On a Fire Tv (stick, Cube, etc.) how do we disable?
Checked and I didnt see the Sidewalk option.
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Conformer101
06-07-2021 at 11:40 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:40 AM.
Quote from fordy1227 :
I can see it but it will not let me click it. All other settings links work as expected...
You might want to check it again after they "flip the switch" tomorrow, just to be safe.
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Joined Oct 2017
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fordy1227
06-07-2021 at 11:41 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:41 AM.
Quote from Conformer101 :
You might want to check it again after they "flip the switch" tomorrow, just to be safe.

Well, I clicked and it took 1 minute to actually open. So let it sit if you are seeing the same. It let me go through to toggle the on/off.
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Joined Jan 2014
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CMGenius
06-07-2021 at 11:42 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:42 AM.
Quote from skyzophrenyk :
Best way to get framed for a crime because some pervert used your internet connection to download something terrible.

You think the FBI cares about your excuse that you had Sidewalk enabled?

It isn't sharing full internet access
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Nishiko
06-07-2021 at 11:42 AM.

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Nishiko

06-07-2021 at 11:42 AM.
Sidewalk is actually an amazing idea and service... Amazon has **every** incentive not to mess this up... if they lose people's trust then the whole thing goes kaboom. the detailed specifications they have published are very transparent and show that they have done their homework. because of this almost over-engineering, there is almost zero risk to your privacy, and the bandwidth it will use on your network is extremely extremely small for like 99% of users. even Amazon won't have visability into the datagrams.

There may be slight protocol problems discovered over time (or, more likely... implementation problems)... but if so you can bet Amazon will be all over that and fix it ASAP.

I have no problem with people making their own decision regarding this, but I just get so tired of the media clickbait type of content, scaring people unnecessarily to get it turned off ASAP (and I'm not saying that is what's being done here at all with this PSA... thank you OP!)

This overlay network called Sidewalk that Amazon has created will allow incredible new use cases, that will make all of our lives more convenient & enable completely new innovations from third-party companies because now these applications of the tech are practical at scale and much much lower cost than the mobile networks offer

The one criticism I can see is that Amazon is enabling it by default, but can you imagine if it was opt-in... the "tyranny of the default" rules... it would take years before the network had any scale... this way it goes to scale overnight virtually, with what is likely approaching zero effect on anyone's network or privacy or security.

I hope most of you will get better educated on this and not jump the gun in turning it off before you can make a more rationally, better-informed decision. If after that you still want it off, that's fair and fine.
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GiveMeDeals
06-07-2021 at 11:43 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:43 AM.
Quote from gopher100 :
I believe this is only for echo devices, I don't think there is anything to disable for a fire tablet.
third generation and later. Original and gen 2 are not capable.
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Nishiko
06-07-2021 at 11:45 AM.

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Nishiko

06-07-2021 at 11:45 AM.
Quote from skyzophrenyk :
Best way to get framed for a crime because some pervert used your internet connection to download something terrible.

You think the FBI cares about your excuse that you had Sidewalk enabled?

they can't do that with Sidewalk, please educate yourself... Amazon is published white papers and other technical documents very transparently about the protocol, with like triple layers of encapsulation, etc.
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Joined Aug 2006
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daffy90270
06-07-2021 at 11:47 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:47 AM.
BLE's are exploitable. You can look up case data on Singcert. Good Luck!

Quote from Nishiko :
Sidewalk is actually an amazing idea and service... Amazon has **every** incentive not to mess this up... if they lose people's trust then the whole thing goes kaboom. the detailed specifications they have published are very transparent and show that they have done their homework. because of this almost over-engineering, there is almost zero risk to your privacy, and the bandwidth it will use on your network is extremely extremely small for like 99% of users. even Amazon won't have visability into the datagrams.

There may be slight protocol problems discovered over time (or, more likely... implementation problems)... but if so you can bet Amazon will be all over that and fix it ASAP.

I have no problem with people making their own decision regarding this, but I just get so tired of the media clickbait type of content, scaring people unnecessarily to get it turned off ASAP (and I'm not saying that is what's being done here at all with this PSA... thank you OP!)

This overlay network called Sidewalk that Amazon has created will allow incredible new use cases, that will make all of our lives more convenient & enable completely new innovations from third-party companies because now these applications of the tech are practical at scale and much much lower cost than the mobile networks offer

The one criticism I can see is that Amazon is enabling it by default, but can you imagine if it was opt-in... the "tyranny of the default" rules... it would take years before the network had any scale... this way it goes to scale overnight virtually, with what is likely approaching zero effect on anyone's network or privacy or security.

I hope most of you will get better educated on this and not jump the gun in turning it off before you can make a more rationally, better-informed decision. If after that you still want it off, that's fair and fine.
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Joined Nov 2017
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AmiReallyFunny
06-07-2021 at 11:48 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:48 AM.
I'm probably in the minority, but does anyone else not give shit? I like the purpose and tech behind Amazon sidewalk
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Joined Aug 2006
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daffy90270
06-07-2021 at 11:49 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:49 AM.
This applies to Echo 3rd gen and ring newer devices. It must have AWS FreeTos kernel.
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tC2009
06-07-2021 at 11:51 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:51 AM.
Mines opted out but dont ever recall doing that
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Nishiko
06-07-2021 at 11:51 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:51 AM.
Quote from daffy90270 :
BLE's are exploitable. You can look up case data on Singcert. Good Luck!

... then in that case your affected device would be more vulnerable due to its intrinsic qualities not having anything extra to do with Sidewalk... and as I said if there is anything significant and material you can bet Amazon will have that fixed ASAP, because if people lose trust in sidewalk the whole thing is game over
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ilya0002
06-07-2021 at 11:54 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:54 AM.
I honestly hope Amazon will be sued for this later. Stuff like this should absolutely always be opt-in, at least for existing devices, not opt-out.

While I am certainly concerned about immediate issues/vulnerabilities this technology may experience, I am way more concerned with the implications for the whole tech sector if stuff like this goes unnoticed. "Hey, Kevin, look Amazon got away with their stunt and nobody even noticed, let's include [[a list of multiple privacy-invading and borderline spying features in Windows 11]] to our new build and make it opt-out through a fifth level menu with three captchas leading to it! -- Sure deal! Let's also make this opt-out valid for 30 days!"
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Tyler559
06-07-2021 at 11:55 AM.
06-07-2021 at 11:55 AM.
Quote from peanutty :
Anyone else not seeing Sidewalk in the Ring app?

When you open the ring app to the main dashboard, look at the three lines at the upper left corner and press that. Then scroll down to "control center" and go into the sub menu. Then scroll down once again to "amazon sidewalk", press that and it's the fourth one from the bottom. You can change the settings in there. Hope that helps.
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