Amazon to Deploy Camera-Equipped Smart Glasses for Delivery Drivers
The e-commerce giant plans to add thousands of wearable cameras to its fleet, raising significant privacy concerns for customers and drivers.
Amazon is expanding a pilot program that equips delivery drivers with smart glasses capable of capturing thousands of photos during a single shift, as The Verge first reported, citing reporting from Bloomberg. The company intends to upload these images to its AI Wellspring platform to improve the delivery process.
Amazon's Viraj Chatterjee told Bloomberg that the company's intent is not surveillance and that systems will blur license plates and people before any human review occurs. However, Chatterjee admitted that Amazon has not yet considered whether customers will be allowed to opt-out of this data collection. Bloomberg reports that Amazon confirmed these images could be obtained via a warrant, though the company has not specified a data retention period. Furthermore, there is reportedly no mechanism for customers to view or request the deletion of images featuring themselves or their property.
This rollout follows previous friction regarding AI cameras installed in delivery vehicles. The Verge reports that drivers have complained about these systems failing to recognize fastened seat belts, leaking footage online, or requiring drivers to pull over to drink coffee.
Amazon plans to deploy an additional 20,000 pairs of smart glasses by the end of 2027. To date, drivers in the pilot program have completed more than 275,000 deliveries.