Videos of suspected robbers are being released by Amazon to promote its new product.
It is a doorbell camera, which comes with an application that allows its users and owners to publish their own videos with great ease.
Amazon is therefore indirectly cultivating a climate of fear and suspicion for the people around us, turning shoppers into witnesses to violent crimes.
According to a product spokesperson, such tactics won't be used forever. The full statement was as follows:
“ Ring alerts help keep people safe by encouraging the community to work directly with local law enforcement. Alerts are created using published content from the Neighbors app, which connects to police systems. We obtain the Ring customer’s explicit consent before sending the content. We also use geo -referencing to limit exposure to relevant communities. Community members can then directly share or post tips to help local law enforcement contact suspects or investigate crimes.”
The questions that arise are many, if one considers that similar posts have even been made on Facebook. Sometimes, such posts are not from users but from the company itself.
Is it morally ambiguous that a giant like Amazon uses such promotional methods? Under the guise of warning about potentially dangerous individuals, it seems at least unfair to target people even until their innocence is proven. What is the impact on them, on the users of the application, on the people who take these publications into account, but also on our society in general?
However, it is worth noting that some of these publications also contributed to the work of the police. In fact, a spokesperson for one police department stated that although Amazon was never asked to publish these videos, the help they received with this move was significant.
Are the ways of promoting the product that were presented ultimately considered advertising or a social function? Perhaps both? It is therefore worth questioning how many and which rights are being violated.
