Amazon's Ring will stop allowing police to request doorbell video footage from users (2024)

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Amazon's Ring will stop allowing police to request doorbell video footage from users? ›

Ring will no longer allow police to request doorbell camera footage from users. NEW YORK (AP) — 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.

Amazon will no longer provide police with video captured by its Ring doorbell system. The camera service's "Request for Assistance" tool is being removed, which allowed police to contact users via the company's Neighbors app looking for video footage captured by their Ring doorbells.

The Amazon-owned company announced that it's ending the “Request for Assistance” tool in its Neighbors app that allowed police departments and other law enforcement agencies to request and receive video captured by its doorbell cameras.

On the Ring website, the company said that law enforcement agencies cannot use the Neighbors app to access or control people's Ring cameras or to view recordings that have not been posted to the app. The website includes a map of fire departments and police departments that use the app.

Critics allege that Ring's doorbell cameras have contributed to racial profiling and invasions of privacy. Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, who has questioned Ring about its practices, has said authorities' use of Ring footage “creates a crisis of accountability.”

In a bid to increase transparency, Ring changed its policy in 2021 to make police requests publicly visible through its Neighbors app. Previously, law enforcement agencies were able to send Ring owners who lived near an area of an active investigation private emails requesting video footage.

Most recently, on January 24, 2024, Ring announced that it will be discontinuing the RFA tool. As a result, officers will no longer be able to request and receive camera footage in the app, and law enforcement agencies will be limited to sharing safety tips, updates, and community events.

Ring has long sparked controversy about privacy due to its controversial partnerships with hundreds of police departments across the U.S. Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the program, and Ring's accompanying Neighbors app, have heightened the risk of racial profiling and turned residents into informants, ...

Having a security system in place is legal, and it is not against data protection law to record video or sound recordings outside the boundary of their property, but you must follow certain rules if you are using equiptment in this way.

Ring, the video doorbell company, will no longer facilitate law enforcement requests for users' footage, the company said Wednesday, shutting down a tool that critics have said threatens people's privacy.

What is the new rule on the Ring doorbell? ›

The Amazon-owned company has announced they are changing their policy to stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users in the app. They were able to do so in the "Request for Assistance" tool in the app.

Unfortunately, even police can't recover videos that Ring permanently removed from its servers because no backups exist. They also can't retrieve the footage users deleted from local storage.

No, it is not illegal to have cameras that include audio. However, in many states it is illegal to record someone without their consent, especially when they are indoors. To avoid this, it's important to keep any cameras in plain sight and check with local or state laws. Do police have access to Ring cameras?

Ring will no longer allow police to request doorbell camera footage from users. NEW YORK (AP) — 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.

When you trigger SOS in the Ring app, we send a signal to request police, fire, or medical response to your verified address on the account. If you requested fire or medical dispatch, our monitoring center will call every emergency contact; if nobody answers the call, we will request dispatch.

To avoid disturbing you, delivery drivers may knock on the door, ring the doorbell, or directly contact you for delivery only between the hours of 8:00 am - 8:00 pm local time, unless your delivery is scheduled or requires a signature.

To access camera footage or a user's personal information without consent, the Ring website states law enforcement agencies must send a written request, such as a subpoena or court order.