Amazon Driver In-Van Surveillance Videos are Leaking Online
In-van surveillance videos of Amazon delivery drivers are being leaked online, raising privacy concerns.
A phone-recorded video of a surveillance monitor, allegedly taken inside an Amazon warehouse, made its way onto Reddit earlier this month. It shows a young, female delivery driver saying hello to a dog that jumps in her van.
The cute video is made sinister by the commentary of the unseen people watching the driver. “You seeing this, Joey?” a person says off-camera. “Little visitor.”
“She had a little guest with her today,” a voice says. Someone responds: “Yeah, I see that.”
Creepy AF
Commenters on the Reddit post expressed their concern over the video being leaked. Presumably, the young woman in the video has no idea her interaction with the dog is being analyzed by her colleagues.
“There’s a reason why us at UPS just negotiated driver-facing cameras out,” says one person. “It really is if I think about it too much I get creeped out really bad,” adds another.
Others called the video on r/AmazonDSPDrivers “dystopian” and “disturbing.”
Other in-van surveillance videos have appeared on the internet too, one entitled “Bruh!!! Stop sign infraction how???” was also posted on the sub-Reddit. It’s unclear how the footage was accessed.
As Vice reports, the cameras that Amazon use are from a company called Netradyne Driver-i which use AI-enabled cameras that monitor everything from the drivers’ speed, location, and actions on the road. This can include things like not wearing a seatbelt or texting while driving.
Amazon requires drivers to sign consent forms so the camera can collect the drivers’ biometric data but Vice also reports that the cameras can have inaccuracies.
“Netradyne cameras are used to help keep drivers and the communities where they deliver safe,” Simone Griffin, an Amazon spokesperson tells Vice.
“Delivery service partners have access to the Netradyne portal where the in-vehicle cameras automatically upload video content when there is a safety incident. Delivery service partners can choose to share the video footage with their employees. However, for privacy reasons, publishing the content externally is a violation of program policies.”
