A Baltimore-based Amazon user had his access to the company’s smart home features suspended for a week due to an accusation that his doorbell intercom made a “racist remark” toward a delivery driver. Brandon Jackson, an engineer at Microsoft and a black man, shared his experience on Medium, expressing his disbelief over the incident and raising concerns about his continued use of Amazon products.

Following the incident, Amazon has since restored access to Jackson’s account and released a statement emphasizing their commitment to preventing similar occurrences in the future.

Jackson revealed that on May 25, he discovered he had been locked out of his Echo Show account, rendering him unable to interact with the connected devices. This presented a significant inconvenience for him, as he heavily relied on Amazon Echo devices via Alexa to control his smart home devices and automations. After checking for any signs of compromised online accounts, which turned up empty, he contacted Amazon’s customer support.

During the call, Jackson was informed that the driver who had delivered his package claimed to have received racist remarks from his “Ring doorbell” (though it was actually a Eufy). However, after reviewing the footage from multiple security cameras positioned around his house, Jackson asserted that no such comments had been made. He also pointed out that the delivery supposedly occurred around 6:05 p.m. ET, a time when it would have been practically impossible for anyone in his household to have uttered those remarks. In fact, the security camera footage revealed that the doorbell had issued an automated response of “Excuse me, can I help you?” as the driver walked away while wearing headphones, suggesting a misunderstanding on the driver’s part.

While expressing support for Amazon’s efforts to protect their delivery drivers, Jackson questioned why his entire smart home system had to be rendered unusable during the company’s internal investigation. This experience left him contemplating a switch to another brand’s products.

Simone Griffin, an Amazon spokesperson, acknowledged the incident, stating that their investigation concluded that the customer did not behave inappropriately. Amazon is working directly with Jackson to address his concerns while also exploring measures to prevent similar situations in the future.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)