Amazon shuts down smart home after delivery driver mishears “racism” from doorbell

An Amazon user who had created a smart home using their products and tech found himself locked out of all of his devices after he was reported by a delivery driver for “racism”, which he believes was just his automatic doorbell being misheard.

Brandon Jackson revealed how several vital features of his home were locked down while Amazon investigated the racism complaint in a blog post, where he said that the lockdown lasted nearly a week before he was able to access his devices again.

He also said that the experience had made him reconsider his relationship with Amazon and that he was now considering dismantling some of the features of his smart home.

Amazon user locked out of smart home devices after being reported by delivery driver

In his post, Brandon said that he was locked out of his accounts and devices the day after he recieved a delivery.

He said: “The following day, I found that my Echo Show had signed out, and I was unable to interact with my smart home devices. My initial assumption was that someone might have attempted to access my account repeatedly, triggering a lockout.”

A delivery driver for Amazon misheard a automated doorbell for “racism” and reported it.

Nobody was home.

Amazon turned off all the lights, shut the entire smart home down before it even started it’s investigation.

Law enforcement via corporation with no due process.

— Grummz (@Grummz) June 12, 2023

After he contacted Amazon to find out what had happened, he said he was met with “accusatory tones” by the representative he spoke to about the incident.

“When I connected with the executive, they asked if I knew why my account had been locked. When I answered I was unsure, their tone turned somewhat accusatory. I was told that the driver who had delivered my package reported receiving racist remarks from my Ring doorbell.

“I reviewed the footage and confirmed that no such comments had been made. Instead, the doorbell had issued an automated response: “Excuse me, can I help you?” The driver, who was walking away and wearing headphones, must have misinterpreted the message. Nevertheless, by the following day, my Amazon account was locked, and all my Echo devices were logged out.”

Brandon finished the post by saying that he supported Amazon taking measures to protect delivery drivers, but that the lengths they went to in disabling key parts of his home were too invasive.