AMAZON: Ending Doorbell Camera Requests for Emergency Response in the New York York, via its Neighbors App
NEW YORK — Amazon-owned Ring will stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users, marking an end to a feature that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates.
In addition to discontinuing its Request for Assistance feature, Ring is introducing other features to its Neighbors app, including a “Ring Moments” post category that’s supposed to let users share more than just clips about crime and safety. It’s also rolling out a “Best of Ring” feed, which may make the app look like a more invasive version of TikTok, as it offers a “curated selection” of Ring videos that you can scroll through. It is not clear how AMAZON picks these videos, but it is similar to the Ring Nation TV show that civil rights groups urged AMAZON to stop.
Yarger adds that the “emergency requests are reviewed by trained professionals who disclose information only when that legal standard is met.” In other words, police can still get footage in an emergency without a warrant. No warrant is needed for the footage to be shown to the police in emergencies.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s policy analyst, Matthew Guariglia, said in a statement that Ring hopefully will be out of the business of platforming warrantless police requests for footage to its users.
The program appeared to be well-received. A December 2019 Gizmodo investigation that mapped Ring’s surveillance network using metadata from videos posted to the Neighbors app found that cities around the United States were blanketed by Ring cameras, subjecting residents to widespread surveillance. Ring had partners with over 400 police departments in the US by August of this year, and will have partnerships with more than 2,200 by July 2022, according to a letter written to Ed Markey by Ring that was seen by the Washington Post. Yarger, the Ring spokesperson, did not say whether the company will maintain its partnership program with police but noted that “law enforcement will continue to be able to use the Neighbors Public Safety Service (NPSS) to post helpful information to their community residents.”
Eric Kuhn, the head of Neighbors, said in the announcement that law enforcement agencies will still be able to make public posts in the Neighbors app. The app is still useful for police and other agencies to share safety tips, updates and community events.
Defend Ring’s Use of User Video in the Competition for Economic Defamation and the Violation of a Reddit Policy
Ring settled with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that it let workers and contractors look at user videos. The agency said that Ring had inadequate security practices which made it possible for hackers to control consumer accounts and cameras. The company disagrees with those claims.
Critics have stressed the proliferation of these relationships – and users’ ability to report what they see as suspicious behavior – can change neighborhoods into a place of constant surveillance and lead to more instances of racial profiling.
