'Amazon Key' Program Would Allow Delivery Person Inside Your Home
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It's a common problem: you're expecting a valuable delivery, but no one's home to take it.
Well, Amazon has come up with an interesting, and perhaps controversial, solution even if the house is empty.
It's called the "Amazon Key" program – a simple and convenient way to have your packages dropped off inside your home.
For $249 dollars you buy a special smart door lock, along with an in-home wireless camera aimed at the door.
When the delivery driver arrives, Amazon gets a notification.
The company then activates the camera and unlocks the door remotely, so the driver can open your door and put your package inside.
The driver then steps outside and asks Amazon to relock the door.
You can watch the delivery happen live or view a video later.
Cybersecurity expert John Sileo worries about flaws in the system.
"The biggest risk is the hackers who get a hold of the database of door codes. You know, quite literally, if they can hack the NSA, they can hack a database of entry codes into an entire block's worth of homes. That part is what scares me, not how Amazon will use it, how the hackers will use it," he said.
But with 11 million packages stolen every year, Yahoo! technology writer and Sunday Morning contributor David Pogue says it's about the lesser of two evils.
"To me, the comparison is not 'should Amazon be allowed to open the door and drop off a package and possibly then ransack my house?' The question is, 'is that a better option than leaving my expensive order on my front porch when I'm not home?' To me, that's the risk of theft," he said.
Amazon says they'll offer a satisfaction guarantee, and they won't have access to your home security system.
If you have one, you'll have to leave it off on the day of the delivery.
