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'''Ring''' is a manufacturer of home security and smart home devices owned by [[Amazon]], the company was acquired as a subsidiary in 2018.<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/12/amazon-officially-owns-ring-so-lets-talk-product-integration/</ref>
'''[[wikipedia:Ring_(company)|Ring]]''' is a manufacturer of home security and smart home devices owned by [[Amazon]], the company was acquired as a subsidiary in 2018.<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/12/amazon-officially-owns-ring-so-lets-talk-product-integration/</ref>


==Vulnerabilities==
==Vulnerabilities==

Revision as of 09:59, 22 February 2025

Ring
Basic information
Founded 2013
Type Subsidiary
Industry Home security
Official website https://ring.com/


Ring is a manufacturer of home security and smart home devices owned by Amazon, the company was acquired as a subsidiary in 2018.[1]

Vulnerabilities

The following section was sourced from Wikipedia:

In January 2019, it was uncovered that employees at Ring's two offices had access to the video recordings from all Ring devices.[2] In addition, The Intercept reported that the video data was stored unencrypted.[3] In a December 2019 test, Motherboard found that Ring's software did not implement security features such as recognizing unknown IP addresses or providing a display of active login sessions, allowing the publication to access a Ring account from IP addresses based in multiple countries without warning the user.[4]

The Neighbors network leaks metadata about the footage posted in videos and "crime alerts". This metadata, combined with public city map data, is frequently sufficient to discover the exact location of the Ring doorbell or a camera. In one experiment, Gizmodo located 20,000 devices based on information collected (scraped from the app) over a period of month. University researchers were able to locate 440,000 devices using data spanning back to 2016.[5]

Cybersecurity firm Bitdefender identified a vulnerability in the Ring Video Doorbell Pro product in July 2019, which was patched before being publicly disclosed in November 2019.[6][7][8] Hackers accessed a number of Ring cameras in December 2019 and used the device speakers to broadcast racial slurs, threats, and other inflammatory language to multiple households across the United States.[9][10][11] A Motherboard investigation discovered crime forums that distributed software exploits of Ring devices that were used in the cyberattacks, and that members of the hacking forum Nulled had been recording their breaches as "podcasts".[12] Ring responded to the incidents by advising its users to have strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and adopt other security measures.[13] Ring mandated two-factor authentication for all users on February 18, 2020.[14][15]

Controversies

Subscription required for local storage

Ring security cameras are the more premium product line of security cameras.[16] There are different subscriptions possible, there is basic, standard and premium.[17] Ring cameras are cloud-first, and with these subscriptions comes different variants of cloud storage for the video footage that your cameras record. There is also an additional product that you can buy, and for local recordings there is even a must buy for the more premium products.[18] To record locally to a MicroSD card, you need the Ring Alarm Pro base station ($249.99)[19] and what is called "Ring Edge for Alarm Pro" in your subscription. The only subscription that offers this feature is the most expensive subscription, which is the premium subscription, costing $19.99/mo or $199.99/yr.[17]

Police partnerships

The following section was sourced from Wikipedia:

In June 2019, Ring faced criticism over a "Community Alert" program, under which the company has made geographically-targeted sponsored posts on social media services such as Facebook, asking readers to provide tips on suspects in verified cases, based on imagery posted on the Neighbors service by a Ring customer. Ring stated that it sought permission from the user before using their content in this manner. However, these discoveries did lead to concerns over the use of such footage in material deemed to effectively be advertising, as well as concerns over other possible uses of the footage (such as for training facial recognition) due to the wide copyright license that users must grant to in order to use Neighbors (an irrevocable, unlimited, and royalty-free license to use shared content "for any purpose and in any media formats in any media channels without compensation to you"), and Ring's partnerships with local law enforcement agencies.[20][21]

Digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future criticized Ring for using its cameras and Neighbors app to build a private surveillance network via partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, which encourage them to promote the products. The group stated that these partnerships "undermine our democratic process and basic civil liberties".[22][23] According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Ring used these partnerships and its marketing strategies to foster fear, which leads to a "vicious cycle" that spurs hardware sales. The organization said that Ring, as well as Neighbors and similar "neighborhood watch" apps such as Citizen and Nextdoor, "facilitate reporting of so-called 'suspicious' behavior that really amounts to racial profiling."[24] Matt Cagle of the American Civil Liberties Union said that the Ring Neighbors Portal "blurs the line between corporate and government surveillance" and that "Many people are not going to feel like they have a choice when law enforcement asks for access to their footage".[25]

In July 2019, Vice publication Motherboard obtained records revealing the extent of Ring's partnership with the Lakeland (Florida) Police Department (LPD). The department was granted access to a "Law Enforcement Neighborhood Portal" for making posts on Neighbors and the ability to "request videos directly from Ring users," and received a donation of 15 Ring cameras. However, the memorandum of understanding stated that the LPD would be required to participate in "outreach efforts on the platform to encourage adoption of the platform/app" (receiving $10 credits for Ring camera purchases for each new user). Ring also recommended that the LPD establish specific new positions for the partnership, including a "social media coordinator".[26] Later in the month, Motherboard obtained public records containing an officer's notes from an April 2019 training webinar, which stated that Ring had partnered with at least 200 law enforcement partners.[27] In early August 2019, Motherboard also reported that Ring would match payments by cities to cover the subsidized purchase of Ring cameras, so that they could be resold to residents at a discount.[28]

In November 2020, a pilot program in Jackson, Mississippi, enabled participating Ring users to enable police to livestream their cameras at any time.[29]

Alleged use of facial recognition technology

The following section was sourced from Wikipedia:

In February 2018, Business Insider reported references to use of facial recognition technology in Ring's privacy policy. The policy stated:

Where permitted by applicable law, you may choose to use additional functionality in your Ring product that, through video data from your device, can recognize facial characteristics of familiar visitors. For example, you may want to receive different notifications from your Ring Doorbell depending on whether a visitor is a stranger or a member of your household. If you choose to activate this feature, we obtain certain facial feature information about the visitors you ask your Ring product to recognize. We require your explicit consent before you can take advantage of this feature.[30][31]

In December 2018, patents filed by Ring surfaced to identify "suspicious" people and automatically alert police.[32]

In August 2019, a Buzzfeed News reported, "Ring Says It Doesn't Use Facial Recognition, But It Has "A Head Of Face Recognition Research."" The piece reported on a 2018 presentation from Ring Ukraine's "Head of Face Recognition Research", as well as a statement from Ring Ukraine's website stating, "We develop semi-automated crime prevention and monitoring systems which are based on, but not limited to, face recognition."[33][34]

Also in 2019, as part of his investigation into Ring's cooperation with law enforcement, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts probed the company's privacy policy's reference to use of facial recognition technology.[35][36] Amazon responded:

We do not currently offer facial recognition technology in Ring products. This sentence in the Privacy Notice refers to a contemplated, but unreleased feature. We do frequently innovate based on customer demand, and facial recognition features are increasingly common in consumer security cameras today, such as: Google Nest Hello, Tend Secure Lynx, Netamo Welcome, Wisenet Smartcam, and Honeywell Smart Home Security. If our customers want these features in Ring security cameras, we will only release these feature with thoughtful design including privacy, security, and user control; and we will clearly communicate with our customers as we offer new features.[37]

In November 2019, the Intercept reported on internal documents detailing "Proactive Suspect Matching". The feature would use facial recognition to group videos and create a profile of an alleged criminal based on Ring camera footage.[38] Ring denied that the feature was in use or development.

In 2020, Ring posted a one-sentence position stance on their blog stating, "Ring does not use facial recognition technology in any of its devices or services, and will neither sell nor offer facial recognition technology to law enforcement."[39] In 2021, Senator Markey and his colleagues introduced the "Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act."[40] A year later, Markey renewed his investigation into Ring,[41] and in July 2022, Markey cited Ring's "[refusal] to commit to not incorporating facial recognition technology in its products" as evidence of the need for legislation to "prohibit use of biometric technology by federal agencies and condition federal grant funding to state and local entities on moratoria on the use of biometric technology."[42]

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.[43] "Ring Ukraine" was eventually rebranded as "Squad".[44]

Alleged user tracking

The following section was sourced from Wikipedia:

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, Facebook, and Mixpanel.[45][46]

References

  1. ↑ https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/12/amazon-officially-owns-ring-so-lets-talk-product-integration/
  2. ↑ Wiggers, Kyle (January 10, 2019). "Ring employees reportedly had access to all live and recorded customer videos". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ Biddle, Sam (January 10, 2018). "For Owners of Amazon's Ring Security Cameras, Strangers May Have Been Watching Too". The Intercept. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  4. ↑ Cox, Joseph (December 17, 2019). "We Tested Ring's Security. It's Awful". Vice. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Ring's Hidden Data Let Us Map Amazon's Sprawling Home Surveillance Network". Gizmodo. December 9, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ Palmer, Danny (November 7, 2019). "Amazon fixes Ring Video Doorbell wi-fi security vulnerability". ZDNet. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  7. ↑ Ng, Alfred (November 7, 2019). "Ring doorbells had vulnerability leaking Wi-Fi login info, researchers find". CNET. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Ring Video Doorbell Pro Under the Scope" (PDF). Bitdefender. November 7, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ Cox, Joseph; Koebler, Jason (December 12, 2019). "Inside the Podcast that Hacks Ring Camera Owners Live on Air". Vice. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ Murdock, Jason (December 10, 2019). "Ring camera hacker uses home security system to spew racial slurs at Florida family". Newsweek. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  11. ↑ Howerton, Matt (December 11, 2019). "Hacker says, 'pay bitcoin ransom or get terminated,' through couple's Ring security cameras". WFAA. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  12. ↑ Cox, Joseph; Cole, Samantha (December 11, 2019). "How Hackers Are Breaking Into Ring Cameras". Vice. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  13. ↑ Holley, Jessica (December 12, 2019). "Family says hackers accessed a Ring camera in their 8-year-old daughter's room". WMC Action News 5. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Ring makes two-step verification mandatory". BBC News. February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  15. ↑ Song, Victoria (February 18, 2020). "Ring Finally Rolls Out Mandatory Two-Factor Authentication After Privacy Scandals". Gizmodo. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  16. ↑ https://www.theverge.com/22704290/amazon-blink-ring-camera-doorbell-brands-smart-home-why
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://ring.com/plans; Archive link of 2025-01-24
  18. ↑ https://ring.com/support/articles/t6xbc/Store-and-Process-Videos-Locally-with-Ring-Edge-and-Ring-Alarm-Pro
  19. ↑ https://ring.com/products/alarm-pro-base-station; Archive link of 2025-01-08
  20. ↑ Reichert, Corinne. "Ring puts suspected thief in Facebook sponsored ads". CNET. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  21. ↑ Alba, Davey; Mac, Ryan (June 7, 2019). "Amazon's Doorbell Camera Company Is Using Security Video For Ads. That May Only Be The Beginning". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Amazon's Ring doorbell police tie-up criticised". BBC News. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  23. ↑ Ng, Alfred. "This map tells you where police have partnered with Amazon's Ring". CNET. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  24. ↑ Guariglia, Matthew (August 8, 2019). "Amazon's Ring Is a Perfect Storm of Privacy Threats". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  25. ↑ Biddle, Sam (February 14, 2019). "Amazon's Home Surveillance Chief Declared War on "Dirtbag Criminals" as Company Got Closer to Police". The Intercept. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  26. ↑ Haskins, Caroline; Koebler, Jason (July 25, 2019). "Amazon Requires Police to Shill Surveillance Cameras in Secret Agreement". Vice. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  27. ↑ Haskins, Caroline; Maiberg, Emanuel; Mead, Derek; Koebler, Jason (July 29, 2019). "Amazon Told Police It Has Partnered With 200 Law Enforcement Agencies". Vice. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  28. ↑ Haskins, Caroline; Koebler, Jason; Mead, Derek (August 2, 2019). "US Cities Are Helping People Buy Amazon Surveillance Cameras With Taxpayer Money". Vice. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  29. ↑ Holmes, Aaron. "Police are tapping into residents' Ring doorbells and home security cameras to stream 24/7 live video". Business Insider. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  30. ↑ Ghosh, Shona. "Amazon's newest acquisition, the doorbell startup Ring, made a smart move to fend off Google". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  31. ↑ "Privacy | Ring". 2018-07-25. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  32. ↑ "Amazon's Ring takes heat for considering facial recognition for its video doorbells". CNET. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  33. ↑ Nguyen, Nicole; Mac, Ryan (2019-08-30). "Ring Says It Doesn't Use Facial Recognition, But It Has "A Head Of Face Recognition Research"". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  34. ↑ "Ring Ukraine". 2019-05-23. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  35. ↑ "September 2019 Inquiry Letter from Sen. Markey to Ring" (PDF).
  36. ↑ "Senator Markey Investigation into Amazon Ring Doorbell Reveals Egregiously Lax Privacy Policies and Civil Rights Protections | U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts". www.markey.senate.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  37. ↑ "November 2019 Response from Amazon to Sen. Markey" (PDF).
  38. ↑ Biddle, Sam (2019-11-26). "Amazon's Ring Planned Neighborhood "Watch Lists" Built on Facial Recognition". The Intercept. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  39. ↑ Ring (2020-08-20). "Ring's Stance on Facial Recognition Technology". The Ring Blog. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  40. ↑ "Senators Markey, Merkley Lead Colleagues on Legislation to Ban Government Use of Facial Recognition, Other Biometric Technology | U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts". www.markey.senate.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  41. ↑ "Senator Markey Renews Investigation into Amazon Ring's Surveillance Practices and Cooperation with Police | U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts". www.markey.senate.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  42. ↑ "Senator Markey's Probe into Amazon Ring Reveals New Privacy Problems | U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts". www.markey.senate.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  43. ↑ Biddle, Sam (2020-01-24). "Ring Ukraine News Suppressed at Amazon's Request, Journalists Say". The Intercept. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  44. ↑ "Ring Ukraine office need you to forget they are part of Amazon". AIN.Capital. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  45. ↑ Budington, Bill (January 27, 2020). "Ring Doorbell App Packed with Third-Party Trackers". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  46. ↑ Newman, Jared (February 14, 2020). "Amazon's Ring will let users opt out of sharing data with other companies". Fast Company. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
Retrieved from "https://consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Ring&oldid=9511"