If that’s the case, now’s the time to turn it off. Amazon will turn on Sidewalk on June 8th. Here’s how you can protect your devices from taking part.
Turning Off Sidewalk
Amazon has hidden this in a few layers, but here’s what you’ll have to do.
- Open the Amazon Alexa app for iOS or Android.
- On the bottom right, select “More.”
- Towards the bottom, select “Settings.”
- The second item is “Account Settings.” Select that.
- Select “Amazon Sidewalk,” if it’s visible. If you have no devices that support it, you won’t see the setting.
- Turn it off.
Amazon says they’re respecting privacy, but Amazon is a company in the business of data collection. They gather heaps of user data for the purpose of more accurate suggestions and ads. Amazon will even enter product categories, allegedly copying their competitors, based off of the user data they’ve collected. You can be forgiven for not trusting Amazon.
The system itself isn’t outlandish. In fact, if you have iOS devices, AirTags work off of that kind of mesh network for Find My. However, Apple doesn’t profit from selling or analyzing user data, and has no interest in collecting it. Amazon can’t make the same claim. You can decide how your data and internet connection is used. If Amazon makes you uncomfortable, you may want to turn this feature off.
Sources:
- Killian Bell, Cult of Mac
- Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac