[Amazon Smart Home Lockout Update] The Dangers of Dependence: Infighting and Narratives Hampering Progress

The following are only my thoughts and opinions.

Key Points:

• I was never locked out of anything except Alexa due to self-hosting most of my services and many devices only need to run locally or fall back to their “dumb” state.
• No one should lose access to a device they’ve purchased. Regardless of their views, no mater how extreme, or beliefs.
• Amazon Echo (Alexa) served as a non-critical auxiliary device in my home.
• I use “corporate speak” to ensure serious engagement and avoid dismissal.
• I personally adopt the “escalators can’t break, they just become stairs” approach, we need to make this true for everyone.
• We need to have our focus on not just personally reducing our dependency on someone else’s computer. We need to fight with our wallets. People need to see the open dialog here. This needs to end in policy changes.

The rapid mainstream news cycle and coverage has caused many to miss the core points of my argument. I hope that doesn’t come off condescending as that’s not what I’m aiming for here. This article will cover some of the recurring themes I’ve noticed in journalists’ and commenters’ feedback. Please check out updates made to the original article [here].

Understanding the Disconnect

As a software engineer, I understand the confusion about how I could get locked out of my devices. The truth is, I never was! My article aimed to represent the perspective of the average user (this is not an insult as I’m the average car user for example). We can’t realistically expect everyone to self-host their own services, just as we don’t expect everyone to perform their own car maintenance.

My Aim: Change, Not Sympathy

I went public with my story to ignite a conversation and raise awareness, not to flaunt my technical capabilities and how “cool I am” that I self host my own services. The real issue here is the overreliance on tech giants like Amazon, especially for individuals who depend on these devices for certain aspects of their life. Let’s not forget that there are many people who rely on Alexa for entertainment, news, and more. The loss of such a device could be devastating to them. For example, years ago, I bought someone who’s suffered vision loss a smart assistant. It enables them to read, get news, listen to music, etc, all with their voice.

The Implications for Others

This situation could have been much more challenging for someone who doesn’t look like me. Companies like Amazon need to consider the possible ramifications of their actions more carefully, particularly when they involve unfounded allegations. Even if the allegations are true, that’s not something Amazon should be enforcing.

Amazon’s Track Record

Several people have shared their stories with me about Amazon’s heavy-handedness. Many of these narratives would have remained hidden had Louis Rossman not highlighted my article. I believe in our right to own our devices and our data, and I am committed to advocating for change. I feel passionate enough about this to try and play a part in getting change in world instead of just staying private or even worse, making fun of people who don’t want to spend their weekend SSH-ed into a terminal and doing planned outages for fall back validation.

Recommendations for Amazon and Other Smart Home Device Makers

A Local-First Approach is Critical

Why does a device need to connect to the internet or require an account if it is simply sending a request to another device on the same network? It’s time to reassess the necessity of these requirements.

Separate Alexa Accounts from Amazon Accounts

This measure could have prevented the situation. There should be no link between ensuring driver safety (e.g. making sure someone isn’t trying to physically harm them) and controlling one’s lights. Amazon should allow users to self-host Alexa and separate Alexa from Amazon accounts.

Recommendations for Consumers

If you are unwilling to set up your own smart home, strongly consider avoiding smart devices. Amazon isn’t the only company that makes such devices, but over-reliance on any single company is a disaster waiting to happen. If you have a spare laptop or desktop, consider installing Home Assistant. Aim to ensure that these non-locally hosted devices are auxiliary and not critical or have access to all of your data. Most smart devices should be on a vlan and segmented from your normal network.

Conclusion

I urge everyone to consider their device usage and find ways to reduce dependency on third parties. Consumers should do their best to reclaim control and prevent corporations from locking us out of devices we own. On my end, this is not over. I honestly have no clue what I’m doing and the best way to fight this, however, I’m going to try. If you have a similar story I encourage you to write about, make a video, get it out there! Just canceling your prime subscription and throwing away devices won’t move the needle.