Ring: Difference between revisions - Consumer Rights Wiki

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In November 2020, a pilot program in Jackson, Mississippi, enabled participating Ring users to enable police to livestream their cameras at any time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Holmes|first=Aaron|title=Police are tapping into residents' Ring doorbells and home security cameras to stream 24/7 live video|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ring-doorbells-live-video-security-camera-police-fusus-2020-11|access-date=November 11, 2020|website=Business Insider |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251128223106/https://www.businessinsider.com/ring-doorbells-live-video-security-camera-police-fusus-2020-11 |archive-date=28 Nov 2025}}</ref></blockquote>

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====Police gains access to user Michael Larkin's cameras via a search warrant placed on Ring====

In '''November 24th''', small business owner Michael Larkin had received a phone call from the police, requesting access to his '''Ring''' doorbell camera In order to gather more evidence for a drug-related Investigation. ''Michael'' had complied and sent clips of a car that drove by his camera 12 times from 5pm to 7pm , only for the police to request even more footage later that day, asking for footage around a whole day's worth.

On '''December 1st, 2022''', 1 week after the initial request for more footage, ''Larkin'' had received a letter by '''Ring''', which was placed on him when the company had received a search warrant by the local authorities & after the letter was signed by a local judge. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Ng |first=Alfred |date=7 Mar 2023 |title=The privacy loophole in your doorbell |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/07/privacy-loophole-ring-doorbell-00084979 |website=politico.com}}</ref>

The letter reads as follows:

<blockquote>'''FOR PROBABLE CAUSE SHOWN AND SUPPORTED BY THE AFFIDAVIT IN THE ATTACHED PAGE, SUCH AFFIDAVIT IS INCORPORATED HEREIN AND MADE PART OF THIS WARRANT BY REFERENCE THERETO, YOU ARE HEREBY ''COMMANDED'' IN THE NAME OF THE COMMON PLEAS COURT, BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO TO''' '''ENTER''' '''AND SEARCH WITHIN THREE DAYS THE PREMISES AND/OR PERSONS DESCRIBED HERE''':

'''RING LLC. for:''' [REDACTED]

The following records / digital recordings and images / electronically stored data within RING LLC cloud based data storage system between the dates of '''10/25/22 at 00:00hrs (Eastern Standard Time) through 10/25/22 at 23:59hrs (Eastern Standard Time)''' in relation to RING LLC home security cameras located at [REDACTED]. RING LLC home security cameras are associated with the following email / account and are individually listed below with their associated MAC addresses as follows:

'''''[Information on Michael Larkin]'''''

'''FOR THE ARTICLES, BODIES, AND/OR SUBSTANCES ALLEGED TO BE PRESENT IN SAID AFFIDAVIT, AND BRING A WRITTEN INVENTORY OF SAID ARTICLES, BODIES, AND/OR SUBSTANCES, TOGETHER WITH ANY PERSON NAMED THEREIN TO BE SEIZED, BEFORE THE JUDGE OF THE COMMON PLEAS COURT, BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO AND TO MAKE RETURN OF THIS WARRANT ACCORDING TO LAW TO SAID JUDGE.'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=1 Dec 2022 |title=Ring Search Warrant {{!}} State of Ohio Butler County, Common Pleas Court |url=https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/23693646-1671460929158_ring-sw-2104-1_redacted-scrubbed_redacted-scrubbed_redacted-scrubbed-highlighted1/?embed=1&responsive=1&title=1&mode=document |website=Document Cloud}}</ref></blockquote>The notice had stated that ''Larkin'' had within 3 days to send a whole day's worth of footage('''25 Oct 2022 - 26 Oct 2022''') from more than 20 of his ring cameras, even if ''Michael'' did not wish to comply.<ref name=":1" />

===Alleged use of facial recognition technology===

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[[Amazon]] has attempted to distance themselves from Ring Ukraine, the branch responsible for developing computer vision and facial recognition solutions. In a statement for release, the general manager of the Kyiv-based office commented, "We are no longer part of a small startup, but a full-fledged R&D center working for one of the world's largest corporations. [We are involved not only in Ring's product line but also in many other Amazon projects. That is,] We are a large Ukrainian team of specialists working on the world market." At legal's request, the general manager was asked to remove the reference to [[Amazon]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Biddle|first=Sam|date=2020-01-24|title=Ring Ukraine News Suppressed at Amazon's Request, Journalists Say|url=https://theintercept.com/2020/01/24/amazon-ring-ukraine/|access-date=2023-07-20|website=The Intercept|language=en-US |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251116003522/https://theintercept.com/2020/01/24/amazon-ring-ukraine/ |archive-date=16 Nov 2025}}</ref> "Ring Ukraine" was eventually rebranded as "Squad".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ring Ukraine office need you to forget they are part of Amazon|url=https://ain.capital/2021/01/29/ring-ukraine-changes-its-name-to-squad/|access-date=2023-07-20|website=AIN.Capital|language=en-US |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240719174131/https://ain.capital/2021/01/29/ring-ukraine-changes-its-name-to-squad/ |archive-date=19 Jul 2024}}</ref></blockquote>

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===Alleged user tracking===

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<blockquote>On January 27, 2020, the Electronic Frontier Foundation concluded that the Ring doorbell app for [[Android]] was sending identifiable personal information– including names, IP addresses, mobile network carriers, persistent IDs, and sensor data–to AppsFlyer, branch.io, [[Meta|Facebook]], and Mixpanel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/ring-doorbell-app-packed-third-party-trackers|title=Ring Doorbell App Packed with Third-Party Trackers|last=Budington|first=Bill|date=January 27, 2020|website=Electronic Frontier Foundation|language=en|access-date=January 27, 2020 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260120204644/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/ring-doorbell-app-packed-third-party-trackers |archive-date=20 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90464883/amazons-ring-will-let-users-opt-out-of-sharing-data-with-other-companies|title=Amazon's Ring will let users opt out of sharing data with other companies|last=Newman|first=Jared|date=February 14, 2020|website=Fast Company|access-date=March 23, 2020 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250405183101/https://www.fastcompany.com/90464883/amazons-ring-will-let-users-opt-out-of-sharing-data-with-other-companies |archive-date=5 Apr 2025}}</ref></blockquote>

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===Flock Safety ''(2025-2026)''===

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===Search Party ''(2026)''===

On February 8, 2026, Ring would air a commercial for their "search party" feature for the Super Bowl. In the ad, the founder Jamie Siminoff states the feature has helped "more than a dog a day has been reunited with their family" out of 10 million a year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.404media.co/with-ring-american-consumers-built-a-surveillance-dragnet/|title=With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet|date=2026-02-10|work=404Media|first=Jason|last=Koebler |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260220165139/https://www.404media.co/with-ring-american-consumers-built-a-surveillance-dragnet/ |archive-date=20 Feb 2026}}</ref> Many Ring owners voiced concerns regarding this new feature, with those stating its dystopian and invasive nature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/cybersecurity/comments/1qzrts8/ring_search_party/|title=Ring “Search Party” |work=Reddit|author=u/Check123ok|date=2026-02-08}}</ref> This feature is opt-in by default and can be used alongside a premium "familiar faces" feature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/no-one-including-our-furry-friends-will-be-safer-rings-surveillance-nightmare-0|title=No One, Including Our Furry Friends, Will Be Safer in Ring's Surveillance Nightmare|work=EFF|date=2026-02-10|first=Beryl|last=Lipton |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260220165255/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/no-one-including-our-furry-friends-will-be-safer-rings-surveillance-nightmare-0 |archive-date=20 Feb 2026}}</ref> On February 18, 2026, emails were leaked showing Siminoff saying how Ring "could have potentially been used to help find Charlie Kirk’s killer" in regards to the community requests feature, in addition to a spokesperson saying "the decision [of sharing] remains firmly in the customer’s hands, not ours".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.404media.co/leaked-email-suggests-ring-plans-to-expand-search-party-surveillance-beyond-dogs/|title=Leaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ Surveillance Beyond Dogs|first=Jason|last=Koebler|work=404Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218144321/https://www.404media.co/leaked-email-suggests-ring-plans-to-expand-search-party-surveillance-beyond-dogs/|archive-date=2026-02-18|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Products==

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 In November 2020, a pilot program in Jackson, Mississippi, enabled participating Ring users to enable police to livestream their cameras at any time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Holmes|first=Aaron|title=Police are tapping into residents' Ring doorbells and home security cameras to stream 24/7 live video|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ring-doorbells-live-video-security-camera-police-fusus-2020-11|access-date=November 11, 2020|website=Business Insider |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251128223106/https://www.businessinsider.com/ring-doorbells-live-video-security-camera-police-fusus-2020-11 |archive-date=28 Nov 2025}}</ref></blockquote>
+----
+====Police gains access to user Michael Larkin's cameras via a search warrant placed on Ring====
+In '''November 24th''', small business owner Michael Larkin had received a phone call from the police, requesting access to his '''Ring''' doorbell camera In order to gather more evidence for a drug-related Investigation. ''Michael'' had complied and sent clips of a car that drove by his camera 12 times from 5pm to 7pm , only for the police to request even more footage later that day, asking for footage around a whole day's worth.
+On '''December 1st, 2022''', 1 week after the initial request for more footage, ''Larkin'' had received a letter by '''Ring''', which was placed on him when the company had received a search warrant by the local authorities & after the letter was signed by a local judge. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Ng |first=Alfred |date=7 Mar 2023 |title=The privacy loophole in your doorbell |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/07/privacy-loophole-ring-doorbell-00084979 |website=politico.com}}</ref>
+The letter reads as follows:
+<blockquote>'''FOR PROBABLE CAUSE SHOWN AND SUPPORTED BY THE AFFIDAVIT IN THE ATTACHED PAGE, SUCH AFFIDAVIT IS INCORPORATED HEREIN AND MADE PART OF THIS WARRANT BY REFERENCE THERETO, YOU ARE HEREBY ''COMMANDED'' IN  THE NAME OF THE COMMON PLEAS COURT, BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO TO''' '''ENTER''' '''AND SEARCH WITHIN THREE DAYS THE PREMISES AND/OR PERSONS DESCRIBED HERE''':
+'''RING LLC. for:''' [REDACTED]
+The following records / digital recordings and images / electronically stored data within RING LLC cloud based data storage system between the dates of '''10/25/22 at 00:00hrs (Eastern Standard Time) through 10/25/22 at 23:59hrs (Eastern Standard Time)''' in relation to RING LLC home security cameras located at [REDACTED]. RING LLC home security cameras are associated with the following email / account and are individually listed below with their associated MAC addresses as follows:
+   '''''[Information on Michael Larkin]'''''
+'''FOR THE ARTICLES, BODIES, AND/OR SUBSTANCES ALLEGED TO BE PRESENT IN SAID AFFIDAVIT, AND BRING A WRITTEN INVENTORY OF SAID ARTICLES, BODIES, AND/OR SUBSTANCES, TOGETHER WITH ANY PERSON NAMED THEREIN TO BE SEIZED, BEFORE THE JUDGE OF THE COMMON PLEAS COURT, BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO AND TO MAKE RETURN OF THIS WARRANT ACCORDING TO LAW TO SAID JUDGE.'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=1 Dec 2022 |title=Ring Search Warrant {{!}} State of Ohio Butler County, Common Pleas Court |url=https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/23693646-1671460929158_ring-sw-2104-1_redacted-scrubbed_redacted-scrubbed_redacted-scrubbed-highlighted1/?embed=1&responsive=1&title=1&mode=document |website=Document Cloud}}</ref></blockquote>The notice had stated that ''Larkin'' had within 3 days to send a whole day's worth of footage('''25 Oct 2022 - 26 Oct 2022''') from more than 20 of his ring cameras, even if ''Michael'' did not wish to comply.<ref name=":1" />
 ===Alleged use of facial recognition technology===
@@ Line 56: / Line 74: @@
 [[Amazon]] has attempted to distance themselves from Ring Ukraine, the branch responsible for developing computer vision and facial recognition solutions. In a statement for release, the general manager of the Kyiv-based office commented, "We are no longer part of a small startup, but a full-fledged R&D center working for one of the world's largest corporations. [We are involved not only in Ring's product line but also in many other Amazon projects. That is,] We are a large Ukrainian team of specialists working on the world market." At legal's request, the general manager was asked to remove the reference to [[Amazon]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Biddle|first=Sam|date=2020-01-24|title=Ring Ukraine News Suppressed at Amazon's Request, Journalists Say|url=https://theintercept.com/2020/01/24/amazon-ring-ukraine/|access-date=2023-07-20|website=The Intercept|language=en-US |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251116003522/https://theintercept.com/2020/01/24/amazon-ring-ukraine/ |archive-date=16 Nov 2025}}</ref> "Ring Ukraine" was eventually rebranded as "Squad".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ring Ukraine office need you to forget they are part of Amazon|url=https://ain.capital/2021/01/29/ring-ukraine-changes-its-name-to-squad/|access-date=2023-07-20|website=AIN.Capital|language=en-US |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240719174131/https://ain.capital/2021/01/29/ring-ukraine-changes-its-name-to-squad/ |archive-date=19 Jul 2024}}</ref></blockquote>
+----
 ===Alleged user tracking===
@@ Line 61: / Line 80: @@
 <blockquote>On January 27, 2020, the Electronic Frontier Foundation concluded that the Ring doorbell app for [[Android]] was sending identifiable personal information– including names, IP addresses, mobile network carriers, persistent IDs, and sensor data–to AppsFlyer, branch.io, [[Meta|Facebook]], and Mixpanel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/ring-doorbell-app-packed-third-party-trackers|title=Ring Doorbell App Packed with Third-Party Trackers|last=Budington|first=Bill|date=January 27, 2020|website=Electronic Frontier Foundation|language=en|access-date=January 27, 2020 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260120204644/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/ring-doorbell-app-packed-third-party-trackers |archive-date=20 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90464883/amazons-ring-will-let-users-opt-out-of-sharing-data-with-other-companies|title=Amazon's Ring will let users opt out of sharing data with other companies|last=Newman|first=Jared|date=February 14, 2020|website=Fast Company|access-date=March 23, 2020 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250405183101/https://www.fastcompany.com/90464883/amazons-ring-will-let-users-opt-out-of-sharing-data-with-other-companies |archive-date=5 Apr 2025}}</ref></blockquote>
+----
 ===Flock Safety ''(2025-2026)''===
@@ Line 70: / Line 90: @@
 ===Search Party ''(2026)''===
 On February 8, 2026, Ring would air a commercial for their "search party" feature for the Super Bowl. In the ad, the founder Jamie Siminoff states the feature has helped "more than a dog a day has been reunited with their family" out of 10 million a year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.404media.co/with-ring-american-consumers-built-a-surveillance-dragnet/|title=With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet|date=2026-02-10|work=404Media|first=Jason|last=Koebler |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260220165139/https://www.404media.co/with-ring-american-consumers-built-a-surveillance-dragnet/ |archive-date=20 Feb 2026}}</ref> Many Ring owners voiced concerns regarding this new feature, with those stating its dystopian and invasive nature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/cybersecurity/comments/1qzrts8/ring_search_party/|title=Ring “Search Party” |work=Reddit|author=u/Check123ok|date=2026-02-08}}</ref> This feature is opt-in by default and can be used alongside a premium "familiar faces" feature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/no-one-including-our-furry-friends-will-be-safer-rings-surveillance-nightmare-0|title=No One, Including Our Furry Friends, Will Be Safer in Ring's Surveillance Nightmare|work=EFF|date=2026-02-10|first=Beryl|last=Lipton |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260220165255/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/no-one-including-our-furry-friends-will-be-safer-rings-surveillance-nightmare-0 |archive-date=20 Feb 2026}}</ref> On February 18, 2026, emails were leaked showing Siminoff saying how Ring "could have potentially been used to help find Charlie Kirk’s killer" in regards to the community requests feature, in addition to a spokesperson saying "the decision [of sharing] remains firmly in the customer’s hands, not ours".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.404media.co/leaked-email-suggests-ring-plans-to-expand-search-party-surveillance-beyond-dogs/|title=Leaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ Surveillance Beyond Dogs|first=Jason|last=Koebler|work=404Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218144321/https://www.404media.co/leaked-email-suggests-ring-plans-to-expand-search-party-surveillance-beyond-dogs/|archive-date=2026-02-18|url-status=live}}</ref>
 ==Products==
 <!-- additional resource: https://ring.com/support/articles/ri2p1/Information-on-Ring-Devices-Software-Security-Updates -->