Ring appears to be reversing its police-friendly stance on data sharing, Amazon told the publication that Ring’s doorbell division will stop agreeing to warrantless police requests for users’ video doorbells and surveillance footage. The practice has long been derided by privacy groups . Senator Ed Markey Back to politics in 2022.
Additionally, Ring will disable the Ask for Help tool next week for filming voluntarily, Police and fire departments would then have to seek warrants to request footage from users, though Amazon could provide the footage without a warrant if the agency can prove it’s essential to an ongoing emergency.
According to Ring spokesperson Yassi Yarger, the entire Neighbors app, home to the Ask for Help feature, is undergoing an overhaul to shift its focus from crime and safety to a more community-centric one. To that end, the Neighbors app is getting a new highlight reel feature for users to review the week’s most popular videos. Ring gave no reason for this sudden change in priorities. A crime sure, but not as we live Star Trek utopia. The company has recently been diversifying its portfolio, adding new products to the lineup, which could be one reason.
It was a ring Since its inception, the company has always stated that its main reason for existence is to improve public safety. “Our mission to reduce crime in neighborhoods is at the core of everything we do at Ring,” said Founders CEO Jamie Siminoff. 839 million dollars in 2018.
Of course, we don’t know for sure whether Amazon and Ring will stick with that decision, or whether they’ll quietly allow law enforcement to seize the videos six or eight months from now. However, this is becoming a trend in the tech industry. Google just changed the location history feature in Maps on anyone near the crime. A guard of law for years.
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