Amazon reportedly has a ‘key’ to thousands of apartment buildings in US

My building has this (I’m in San Francisco). It’s been fine. It’s much better than risking packages being left outside the door, where they’re guaranteed to be stolen. The delivery person takes a photo of where they left the package and Amazon sends a notification that includes it.<p>If anything, it’s cut down on random people being buzzed in because some driver rings all the doors to get in.

So does UPS, FedEx and the USPS though.<p>Fire codes require that apartment buildings that have locked gates or access points must provide access to police and fire departments. This same code or key is usually provided to delivery services.

You can get to pretty much any apartment building in the US fairly easily. Just wait for someone to go through the doors and go right after them. I did it all the time when I forgot my keys.

It&#x27;s called a common key. You can buy them online for a couple bucks. It&#x27;s a basic tool for pen-testers. Why is this being blown out of proportion?

This is probably over engineering though. I know for a fact that the two apartment buildings next door have codes that most of the delivery drivers know for this exact purpose.<p>They don&#x27;t have front desks, so it makes sense that they let themselves in.<p>Is it a security risk for the residents? Maybe. But most would probably vote to allow it given the desire to have the packages delivered.

If you have a Lishi KW1 or SC1, so do you!<p>My point is that these keys&#x2F;codes&#x2F;whatever aren’t particularly strong nor were they meant to be.

This seems like something to watch as it’s not just a key. Amazon is imploring management groups to integrate their software&#x2F;hardware. This feels like their purchase with ring. It’s another area that Amazon can be in this privacy&#x2F;surveillance market overnight. “It’s free…”<p>I just wish there was something more than just this as the story. It feels unfinished.

With other delivery services like UPS, FedEx, etc ... the drivers often also have the keypad codes to gated communities, apartment buildings although the information transfer from residents is less formalized than this Amazon giftcard incentive.

Any time I move into a new apartment or home, I change the locks and give a copy of the new key to the landlord, whether they like it or not.<p>I refuse to live and sleep somewhere where an unknown number of prior residents may have access to the lock.

One small externality of Amazon&#x27;s approach to business optimization: Amazon so closely tracks its drivers that they&#x27;re strongly incentivized to shave seconds off of every delivery. When they come to smaller apartments with push-button buzzers, they&#x27;ll push every button immediately, not just the buzzer matching their package. It disturbs every occupant, but there&#x27;s the chance that they get buzzed in a few seconds sooner because a different tenant is hoping for their own package, is expecting a guest, or accepts that this is how Amazon works.