Ring acts as a regular door bell, camera, way of communicating and your own personal little spy when you’re not at home. Motherboard recently reported that Ring and the police department has struck a deal together. This should come as no surprise as Amazon even uses actual footage of suspected thieves to promote the products. This contract just highlights the importance and the relationship between the company and the police.
Recently an office gave a webinar by Ring and according to the notes, Ring lets officers request footage from owners through Ring. It was stated that the police would need consent from the owners but a warrant isn’t required. Ring did note in a statement that any requests from law enforcement must be tied to an active investigation. Ring did emphasize that camera footage can’t be accessed directly by police for those of you worried or wondering.
There has been some pushback from employees and the civil libertarians but Amazon has taken an interest in working with law enforcement. Outside of Ring, the company offers a facial recognition product, called Rekognition, which is already being used with local law enforcement and even pitched to immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some are questioning the accuracy while other AI experts are urging the company to stop selling to police. A Ring spokesperson wants to ensure all of the customers that Ring centers around privacy, security and user control. Ring will be on board and facilitate any and all law enforcement requests.