Amazon Key Lets Delivery Drivers Open Your Locked Door

Today pretty much everyone orders from Amazon and pretty much all of us fear what might happen to our goodies while we are away from home and the boxes are on the front porch. Amazon has a new answer to ease those fears, but the answer might put fear of a different type into users. The service is called Amazon Key and at its core, it is a way for a stranger to unlock your door and enter your home.

The idea is that when the delivery driver turns up at your home, the driver would be able to unlock your door using a combination of the Amazon Cloud Cam and a smart lock. The camera acts as the hub and is connected to the web via your WiFi connection and uses Zigbee.

When the delivery driver turns up for your delivery, they can scan a barcode sending a request to the Amazon cloud reports The Verge. If you are expecting a delivery and the barcode is correct, the cloud gives the camera permissions and it starts recording. The driver is prompted on their app, swipes the screen, and the door unlocks letting them in.

Once the delivery is done, the driver can swipe again to lock the door and your packages are safe from thieves and weather. You just have to trust the system enough to give a driver access to your home when you are away. I don’t have that level of trust for the folks who can’t seem to get my packages to the door without crushing them.