Amazon Key: Giving Complete Strangers Free Access To Your Home

[Locutus of Bored]

For goodness sakes, about fifteen years ago there was a burglar here in the U.S. (I don't remember the details or where) who was in a guy's roof and he broke and fell threw a skylight. He sued the home owners for his injuries and the court awarded the burglar because the home owner hadn't provided adequate protection for somebody on the roof who could face the same accident. Which is, of course, an accident you have while ROBBING somebody.

Does Bill Handel typically cite legal precedent from the [url=https://youtu.be/g4GoWLIV23A?t=2m15s]Jim Carrey movie Liar Liar[/url]?

Greta: A couple years ago my friend had a burglar on her roof, a burglar. He fell through the kitchen skylight, landed on a butcher's knife, cutting his leg. The burglar sued my friend, he sued my friend. And because of guys like you HE WON. My friend had to pay the burglar $6,000. Is that justice?
Fletcher: No. I'd'a' got him ten.

The real case the oft-cited myth is based on was quite different.

- The incident happened in 1982 in Redding, California, and involved an eighteen-year-old who climbed up on the roof of the Enterprise High School gym to take some floodlights so he and his friends could allegedly play basketball with a lighted court (police claim they were just stealing them).
- The kid fell through a set of skylights that were painted over black to match the color of the roof and were thus completely invisible at night. He fell 27-feet to the floor and was rendered quadriplegic and mute as a result.
- There had been a similar incident of a student at a nearby school in the same district (and with the same design) also falling through a painted over skylight earlier in the year and falling to his death, so all the schools in the district had been ordered to board up the skylights to both make them visible and to prevent anyone from falling through.
- The school in question failed to board over the skylight or take any action to make it more visible or provide any warning for well over six months after the original accident and subsequent order to correct the problem.
- The kid did sue for millions of dollars, but he was not "awarded" anything by the court, because the school district decided to settle the case first. The attorneys got most of the money and what the family got barely pay for all his medical expenses, meaning he would have to be covered for the balance by the state anyway.
- The case became the catalyst for tort reform that made it impossible to sue for injuries incurred during the commission of felony crimes, including criminal trespassing or burglary.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-11-17/news/0340390083_1_shasta-district-skylights-bodine
https://www.overlawyered.com/2006/09/the-burglar-and-the-skylight-another-debunking-that-isnt/

So it wasn't a homeowner being sued but a school district, it wasn't a burglary but rather criminal trespassing and petty theft, the school did exhibit some negligent behavior in failing to correct the problem after a student had previously been injured the same way, the court didn't award the kid anything but the school district decided to settle rather than push the issue, and as a result of the case being brought at all it inspired immediate tort reform to prevent it from happening again.

So like most of these stories, a mix of exaggeration and outright lies, and cynicism about the legal system when things weren't nearly as bad as they seem.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I can see having a two-phased entry to my home, with an outer lock and an inner lock, and give Amazon Key access to only the outer lock, so they could only get as far as the entryway.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I can't see this becoming popular with the public at large, but it might have some usefulness with the elderly, sick, and disabled who, while they're in the house, have some trouble getting to the door in time or need someone to carry the packages inside for them.

In regards to the safety of the system, I'm not so much worried about Amazon's contractors themselves, as they'll be extensively vetted, on camera, tracked by GPS, and known to be delivering to your home, so the chances of them getting away with doing anything, even if they wanted to, is slim. No, I'd be more concerned with the records of when you are or are not home, and the electronic entry key being hacked by an outside party who can then access the home. It's a bit too much work for your standard home burglars, but for burglars targeting high-end homes it might be something they would exploit.

 

[tharpdevenport]

I didn't say Handel cited the burglar and the roof incident. I heard it on news report.

And yes, Handel does cite -- at the opening of each hour -- a real-life court case he thinks is interesting, like Charles Lee Warren and the size of his penis (search that if you dare).

 

[Australis]

It could work. Sure it could.

But you'd need an 'airlock' setup. The Key lets you though the first door but not the second. Only you/family/employees can get through the second. The advantage? Drivers can deliver stuff 24/7, it's not left unsecured at the front door, but the home/business is safe. Failing that, the Key opens a simple cage at the front door where packages are deposited. Easy peasy.

But as for letting someone on the house? Never gonna happen.

 

[Snaploud]

Amazon isn't the only company to think this is a great idea. I just saw an ad for "WAG," which is apparently an app for dog owners that allows you to order a dog-walker who can come into your home (when you're not around) to get your dog and take him/her for a walk. Their system seems less sophisticated, though. They open up your house key from a locked container near your door. I'm not sure what's to stop the dog-walker from making copies of your home key.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Amazon isn't the only company to think this is a great idea. I just saw an ad for "WAG," which is apparently an app for dog owners that allows you to order a dog-walker who can come into your home (when you're not around) to get your dog and take him/her for a walk. Their system seems less sophisticated, though. They open up your house key from a locked container near your door. I'm not sure what's to stop the dog-walker from making copies of your home key.

Wanting to keep a job as a Wag walker?

Also, most people who request Wag walks start off meeting their walker in person. You can then request the same walker in the future, so it can be someone you are familiar with and trust at that point.

Wag's preference is that you just trust their system and leave your dog home alone for the walker to pick up and walk, but most people don't seem to do it that way.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Apparently UPS has an app that with options to let you tell drivers where to leave your packages. This could be a good compromise for Amazon if they were to do something similar as shipping preferences and avoid many of the problems with this system. It doesn't have to be difficult. If someone wants a package to be left on a porch, let it be an option.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Also, most people who request Wag walks start off meeting their walker in person. You can then request the same walker in the future, so it can be someone you are familiar with and trust at that point.

Wag's preference is that you just trust their system and leave your dog home alone for the walker to pick up and walk, but most people don't seem to do it that way.

Rick Grimes probably wouldn't.