The new Amazon Key allows the delivery driver to leave packages inside the front door in the hopes of negating the chance for packages to get stolen. And it's coming to Denver on November 8.
This exclusive service for Prime members will allow Amazon delivery drivers inside your home, even when you're not there to receive the package. The service is called
Amazon Key and it will launch on November 8 in
37 cities across the country, including Denver.
The company only trusts its own delivery team to handle this, at least for now. So it makes sense as to why Denver was one of the 37 cities since it's where Amazon Logistics handle the drop-offs. (Not to mention that
Denver is also bidding to be the home of the second Amazon Headquarters.) However, Amazon noted that it isn't completely ignoring the possibility of expanding to third-party couriers in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn7DBdaUNLA
Peter Larnsen, Vice President of Delivery Technology for Amazon, said in a
press release by the company:
Amazon Key gives customers peace of mind knowing their orders have been safely delivered to their homes and are waiting for them when they walk through theirs doors. Now, Prime members can select in-home delivery and conveniently see their packages being delivered right from their mobile phones."
[caption id="attachment_26149" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]
courtesy of Amazon[/caption]
So how does it work exactly? Well, you order something for delivery and select the "in-home" shipping option. Then, when the delivery driver arrives, Amazon will verify the address as well as the delivery time by a simple scan of the package's barcode. If things check out, the driver is granted permission and receives a prompt on their app that asks to swipe the screen in order to unlock the door, and ta-da!
Through the Amazon Key kit -- an Amazon security camera (the Cloud Cam) and a compatible smart lock -- the customer is able to watch from their phone as the camera records the entire thing. (
The kit costs about $249.99.) The customer will then receive a notification that their delivery has arrived and the door has been locked.
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Amazon's Cloud Cam (courtesy of Amazon)[/caption]
Now, I'm not sure about you but it seems like this could be potentially problematic. It seems like an invasion of privacy to me. But with
Alexa, Echo and other Amazon devices now invading our homes, I guess it isn't that much of a stretch to have cameras watching our day-to-day lives ...
What do you think of this new service for Prime members? Will it stop packages from being stolen? Or could it cause more issues? Plus, is it an invasion of privacy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Featured image courtesy of The Verge.
