NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon-owned Ring will no longer allow police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users, marking the end of a feature that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates.
In a blog post Wednesday, Ring said it is discontinuing the “Request for Assistance” tool, which allows police departments and other public safety agencies to request and receive video captured by its doorbell cameras through Ring's Neighbors app.
The company did not give a reason for the change, which will come into effect this week.
Eric Kuhn, the head of Neighbors, said in the announcement that law enforcement agencies can continue to post public posts on the Neighbors app. Police and other agencies can continue to use the app to “share helpful safety tips, updates and community events,” Kuhn said.
The update is the latest restriction Ring has placed on police activity in the Neighbors app after privacy watchdogs raised concerns about the company's relationships with police departments across the country.
Critics have emphasized that the proliferation of these relationships — and the ability of users to report what they see as suspicious behavior — can turn neighborhoods into a place of constant surveillance and lead to more cases of racial profiling.
To increase transparency, Ring changed its policy in 2021 to make police inquiries publicly visible through its Neighbors app. Previously, law enforcement could send private emails to ring owners who lived near an area where an ongoing investigation was taking place, requesting video footage.
“Now Ring will hopefully be out of the business of relaying casual and unauthorized police requests for footage to its users entirely,” Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in a statement Wednesday.
Law enforcement can still access videos with a search warrant. Ring also reserves the right to share footage without user consent in certain circumstances.
In mid-2022, Ring announced that the company had turned over 11 videos to the police that year without notifying users due to “urgent or urgent” circumstances, one of the categories that allow the company to release videos without the permission of the Share ownership. However, Guariglia of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said the group remains skeptical about the police and company's ability to determine what is and is not an emergency.
Last summer, Ring agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that the company gave employees and contractors access to user videos. Additionally, the agency said Ring had inadequate security practices that allowed hackers to control consumer accounts and cameras. The company disagrees with these claims.