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Consent to being surveilled or risk getting fired, says Amazon
Remember the AI cameras Amazon said it was going to install in its delivery vans to, erm, monitor their driving behaviour? The company is now deploying them and has asked tens of thousands of its employees to consent to being biometrically surveilled.
The e-commerce giant, however, isn't really giving them much of a choice. They have to agree or they can't drive the vans at all. In short, they have to suck it up or they lose their jobs. Referring to its AI-powered cameras, Amazon said: "This technology may create Biometric Information, and collect, store, and use Biometric Information from such photographs," Vice reported.
The drivers also have to agree to Amazon potentially storing the data for up to 30 days after it was collected. Some have refused and given up their jobs. The cameras developed by Netradyne are running machine learning software to detect 16 different types of behaviour, including everything from failing to brake at a stop sign, or speeding, to not wearing a seat belt or if the camera is obstructed.
See also: Amazon ditching plans to monitor delivery drivers for mask wearing
Amazon has dropped plans to use in-vehicle cameras to record which delivery service provider (DSP) drivers are wearing masks. [...] Amazon plans to use the in-vehicle cameras to monitor safe driving behaviors, including distracted driving. In a recent training video, however, the company added mask wearing as one of the behaviors it would monitor, The Information reported.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Gaaark on Monday March 29 2021, @11:06PM (1 child)
When i first started reading the article, i thought it would be about monitoring that the driver actually delivered the parcel and walked away without it back under his arm... an anti-theft kind of thing.
The actual contents of the article was NOT what i was expecting. It would be nice if amazon could find no one to take the job and actually have to offer more money or get rid of the cameras; unfortunately, too many people need the money and will put up with anything to get it.
Sad, but reality.
I still believe big business needs to be taken down quite a bit: the self-checkouts at stores and wait times at fast food restaurants: they don't care if you have to wait in line because you want to give a cashier a job; as long as they get your money, fuck you. The only way to send a message is spend your money at places that believe in customer service, which big business is trying VERY HARD to put out of business...... :(
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Reziac on Tuesday March 30 2021, @05:29PM
When I read it, I found myself thinking... Amazon is getting a sweet deal from their vehicle insurer, in exchange for providing detailed evidence in the event of an accident involving an Amazon-owned truck.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.