Here’s why Amazon thinks it’s OK to take pictures of your front door
Amazon delivery staff have started taking pictures of customers’ front doors, as part of an unusual new initiative.
The photos are being used as proof of delivery when nobody’s at home, and a package needs to be left unattended outside.
It’s a strange-sounding new measure, which Amazon says is “intended to help customers see that their package was safely delivered and where”.
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Amazon has been trialling the initiative in specific US cities for at least six months, USA Today reports, and it isn’t yet clear if it will roll out to the UK.
However, if a photo on delivery is taken to record one of your deliveries, you’ll be able to see it when you track your package through Your Orders.
The photos can also be referenced by Amazon’s customer service team if you get in touch with an issue or complaint − about your Amazon package subsequently going missing, for instance.
“For orders shipped to an address marked confidential, such as a Wish List or Registry address, Amazon won’t post a delivery photo on the order in order to protect the privacy of the recipient,” the company explains.
You can opt out of photo on delivery by clicking the ‘Don’t take delivery photos’ option that appears when you view a photo on delivery in Your Orders.
Invasive as it sounds, it’s a far cry from the Amazon Key system, which lets delivery staff into your home when you’re not around to answer the door.
Do you think the new measure is sensible or slightly creepy? Share your thoughts with us @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
