June 16, 2023
Brandon Jackson, a Microsoft engineer, was shut out of his smart home for a week after an Amazon delivery driver mistook him for a racist.
The driver claimed to have heard racist statements through Jackson’s smart doorbell, but doorbell camera evidence proved that he had misheard an automatic answer from the device asking, “excuse me, can I help you?”
During the week he was locked out, Jackson said he was unable to engage with any of his smart gadgets, including his Amazon Echo devices and Alexa. He stated that he is “seriously considering discontinuing” his usage of Amazon Echo devices and that he is informing others about the occurrence.
After analyzing the evidence, Amazon initiated an internal inquiry, and Jackson’s account was unlocked nearly a week later. Jackson praised Amazon’s efforts to improve driving safety, but questioned why his whole smart home system was made inoperable during the probe.
As a result of this distressing incident, Jackson contemplated discontinuing the use of Amazon Echo devices and issued a warning to others about the potential pitfalls associated with smart home appliances and devices produced by various technology firms.
The sources for this piece include an article in TheIndependent.
