Amazon delivery drivers to use smart glasses taking constant photos, raising privacy concerns

Smart Glasses for Delivery Drivers

Amazon is introducing smart glasses for its delivery drivers that will capture images "almost constantly" during shifts. These glasses are expected to take several thousand photos per driver per shift, which will then be uploaded to Amazon's AI Wellspring platform. The company plans to deploy 20,000 more pairs of these glasses by the end of 2027, following a pilot program where drivers completed over 275,000 deliveries.

Purpose and Data Handling

According to Amazon's Viraj Chatterjee, the data from these glasses is intended to "enhance the delivery process" and not for surveillance. Amazon's systems will blur people and license plates in the images before human review. The quality of these photos will be similar to those taken by drivers for package drop-offs.

Privacy Concerns

The introduction of these smart glasses has raised privacy concerns. Amazon has not provided an option for customers to opt-out of having their property or likeness photographed. The company also has not specified how long these images will be stored, though it confirmed images could be obtained with a warrant. Customers will not have access to these images or the ability to request their deletion.

Driver Surveillance History

This new technology follows previous instances of surveillance for Amazon delivery drivers, who have experienced AI cameras in their vehicles. Drivers have reported issues with these in-vehicle cameras, including misidentification of safety violations and footage leaks. The new smart glasses extend this surveillance to the drivers' external environment.