E-commerce giant, Amazon uses an app called Mentor to track and discipline delivery drivers

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E-commerce giant Amazon triggered privacy concerns last week when it said it is rolling out AI-enabled cameras in vans used by some of its contracted delivery partners. But the company has for years been using software to monitor and track delivery drivers’ behavior on the road.

Amazon requires contracted delivery drivers to download and continuously run a smartphone app, called “Mentor,” that monitors their driving behavior while they’re on the job. The app, which Amazon bills as a tool to improve driver safety, generates a score each day that measures employees’ driving performance.

“Safety is Amazon’s top priority, the company’s spokesperson Deborah Bass told CNBC in a statement. “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,” Bass said.

But Bass did not answer privacy allegations among other issues the DSP drivers raised about the Mentor app. The scores generated by the Mentor app are used in more ways than just evaluating an individual’s job performance, drivers say.