Amazon is Tracking and Disciplining Delivery Works with This App

E-commerce giant Amazon has confirmed that the company is putting AI-equipped cameras into some of its delivery vans to track and discipline drivers.

The company requires contracted delivery workers to use an app, called Mentor, that tracks and scores their driving behavior.

The ranking system ranges from “Poor” to “Good” to “Fantastic” to the top tier, referred to as “Fantastic+.”

Mentor is designed to improve driving safety. Amazon bills the app as a tool to improve driver safety. It generates a score each day that measures employees’ driving performance.

But according to Amazon employees, the technology produces errors and, in some cases, tracks their location after they clock out from work.

A surplus of poor Mentor scores among a delivery partner’s workforce can drag down the DSP’s ranking, which can potentially jeopardize their access to benefits provided by Amazon, such as optimal delivery routes, the drivers said.

The privacy concerns of the app are now up for debate after multiple delivery drivers spoke to CNBC and described the app as invasive.

Amazon spokesperson Deborah Bass said to CNBC: “Safety is Amazon’s top priority.

Whether it’s state-of-the art telemetrics and advanced safety technology in last-mile vans, driver-safety training programs, or continuous improvements within our mapping and routing technology, we have invested tens of millions of dollars in safety mechanisms across our network, and regularly communicate safety best practices to drivers.”

There was no response to any of the specific allegations DSP drivers made to CNBC about the Mentor app.

“The knowledge that you’re under this level of constant surveillance, that even if you’re doing a good job at your job, an app or algorithm could make a determination that impacts your life or your ability to put food on the table for your kids is, I think, profoundly unjust,” remarked Evan Greer, deputy director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future. “It’s incredibly dystopian.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.