(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) According to a Wired Magazine report, security cameras–especially those affixed to doorbells–are emblematic of white supremacy and the attempts on the part of white people to defend themselves from would-be thieves.
Calling camera doorbells “dangerous to you, or to society in general,” Wired Magazine’s Adrienne So declared that cameras create a “troubling” relationship with law enforcement insofar as they encourage “vigilante” homeowners to confront criminals rather than calling the police.
Yet the most troubling discovery, So suggested, was that the doorbells–specifically those with stream-sharing features–drastically increase “the possibility of racial profiling.”
Security cameras, So added, “target certain groups for suspicion of crime based on skin color, ethnicity, religion, of the country of origin,” and in the meantime do not make anything safer.
For these two reasons, So concluded, people should ditch their smart doorbells in order to contribute to a more “just society.”
Though So’s woke concerns are unfounded, smart appliances, such as camera doorbells, tend to make oversight increasingly possible on the part of large corporations, which tend to partner with the federal government.
Last month, for example, a Baltimore, Maryland, man, Brandon Jackson, was locked out of numerous accounts after his Amazon doorbell accused him of racism.
Jackson, who is black, asked a delivery driver, “excuse me, may I help you?”
But instead he was met with charges of racism from the tech giant. His account access was only restored days later, after he offered Amazon numerous explanations.
Amazon spokeswoman Simone Griffin reassured customers that Amazon would be more proactive in accurately identifying racist comments in the future.
“In this case, we learned through our investigation that the customer did not act inappropriately, and we’re working directly with the customer to resolve their concerns while also looking at ways to prevent a similar situation from happening again.”
