George Orwell worried that the future would be the government boot stamping on us – forever. Aldous Huxley was more worried that corporate culture would so distract us with luxury that we wouldn’t notice we’d become slaves. Both were right, in very important ways.
But, while it’s easy enough to notice the Orwellian jackboot coming down, it’s even easier to be distracted by the velvet chains of luxurious slavery. The most insidious thing about sliding into pampered imprisonment is that you don’t even realise you’re a captive until it’s too late.
Because, every step of the way, the shackles look like convenience.
For instance, electronic money. Absolutely, it’s convenient. We can pay for goods anywhere in the world, in an instant. In Africa, mobile cash transactions like M-Pesa have revolutionised entrepreneurship in that continent.
Then your bank cancels all your accounts. Silicon Valley kills the business you’ve spent years building, by cancelling your domain, web-hosting and e-payment services and de-monetising your channels. All because of something you posted on social media.
And who needs a Chinese Communist Party “social credit” system, when you’ve got Amazon?
In an alarming incident, a man was locked out of his Amazon account, disabling his smart home devices for a week following a misunderstood interaction with an Amazon delivery driver. The incident has raised questions about the inherent risks of smart home technology and the customer service practices of major technology companies like Amazon.
It’s bad enough that our phones and game consoles are listening to everything – no matter whether you’ve told them not to, or not. Mention a topic in conversation and wait for the themed ads to pop up on your Facebook feed. Hell, when Covid went through our house, the sound of coughing was enough to have social media feeding us ads for cough medicines.
Lord help us if Jeff Bezos is listening in, next time we have a drunken dinner party and break out Cards Against Humanity…
The ordeal began on May 24, 2023, when a package was delivered to the man’s home by an Amazon delivery driver. The next day, the man, identified as Mr Brandon Jackson, found that he was unable to interact with his smart home devices through Amazon Echo devices via Alexa, suggesting his account had been locked.
On contacting Amazon customer service, Mr Jackson was informed that his account had been suspended because the delivery driver reported receiving racist remarks from his Ring doorbell. Jackson, baffled by the accusation, insisted that the only sound his doorbell made was an automated response, “Excuse me, can I help you?”, when the package was delivered. He further noted that the incident time provided by Amazon (around 6:05 PM) did not align with his home occupancy at the time.
Despite having multiple cameras recording on his property and video evidence that refuted the driver’s claims, Amazon took nearly a week to reinstate Jackson’s account access, disabling his smart home devices throughout the investigation period. The incident did not come with an apology or acknowledgment from Amazon that their action had been hasty and mistaken.
PopTopic
Yeah, but Amazon’s smart home technology is so convenient!
In the wake of this event, Jackson is considering discontinuing his use of Amazon Echo devices and advising others about the potential risks associated with their use.
As Bill Burr said, “You might as well just hand your wallet and the keys of your house to the fuckin’ Illuminati”.