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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: 5, Informative) by deimtee on Tuesday March 30 2021, @01:06AM (2 children)
Managers will still ride drivers about their stats and drivers will still have to speed and cut corners to make a living, but the camera data will be ignored by Amazon unless you hit someone or something. In which case it will be used to load all the blame on the driver.
No problem is insoluble, but at Ksp = 2.943×10−25 Mercury Sulphide comes close.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday March 30 2021, @04:36PM
Definitely this, while it may benefit the driver in some instances. It will mostly be used to push the liability onto the driver.
Insurance analgoue, why do you need to track how many steps I'm getting, what food I'm eating, if I'm taking my medication, etc? Certainly not for the benefit of the person paying for the insurance. While the data may not be directly used (legally) to pump up your insurance rates. They certainly aren't doing it for you benefit except, if it benefits them.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday March 30 2021, @05:32PM
That's another thought I had when I said above this sounds like an agreement with their vehicle insurer. In the event of an accident, if the driver was at fault now the insurer has all the evidence required to sue the driver to recover the payout. (But blood and turnips...)
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.