Ring is once again allowing police to request videos from users. As previously reported by Business Insider, law enforcement technology company and Taser manufacturer Axon announced in April that it would partner with Ring to allow users to "share relevant videos with law enforcement to help solve crimes faster and keep communities safer."
The move reverses Ring's plans to abandon sharing videos with police. Last year, the company discontinued its "Request Assistance" feature, which allowed law enforcement officers to request camera footage from people through Ring's Neighbors app. At the time, the company said it would only allow police to request footage in "emergency circumstances," but that still allowed law enforcement officers to obtain footage without a warrant, raising privacy concerns.
Ring's partnership with Axon will now allow police to request footage from Ring users through Axon's digital evidence management system, but it's unclear if this will show up in the Neighbors app. Once a request is made, Ring users can decide whether to send the footage, and if so, it will be "encrypted and securely added to the case file," Axon said. Axon also claims that Ring will not share information about users who refuse to share footage. One source revealed that Ring is "exploring new integrations with Axon to enable live streaming from Ring devices" if customers get permission.
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff returned to Amazon in April to lead the Ring, Blink, Amazon Key and Sidewalk teams. He said the integration will help Ring further its mission of “making communities safer.”
Ring has come under fire in the past for allegedly helping police persuade users to share video footage, Motherboard reported in 2019. In 2023, Ring agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit that alleged its cameras enabled Ring employees and hackers to illegally spy on users.
“This integration with Axon will facilitate important connections between our neighbors and their communities’ public safety agencies, allowing them to work together to keep their communities safe,” Siminoff said in the April announcement.
As of 2021, Ring has partnered with more than 2,000 police and fire departments in nearly every state in the United States.