Ring will no longer allow local police to publicly request doorbell footage from people through its Neighbors app. The Amazon-owned company announced it would stop using its "Request Assistance" tool this week, which would force police to obtain a search warrant when making most video requests.
The change may seem like a step in the right direction, but may actually make the clip request process less transparent, as police can still request clips from Ring in what they deem an "emergency situation." Amazon spokesperson Yassi Yarger confirmed in a statement that Ring will provide information to law enforcement in "rare circumstances," particularly "when there is an imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm, such as a kidnapping or attempted murder."
"Emergency applications are reviewed by trained professionals and information is disclosed only if legal standards are met," Jager added. In other words, police can still obtain footage without a warrant in an emergency. Google will also show footage from Nest devices to police in emergencies, without a search warrant.
Ring's relationship with law enforcement has been criticized for years. In 2019, a Motherboard report revealed that Ring was working with police to help them convince device owners to hand over surveillance footage. The company also works with hundreds of law enforcement agencies, allowing them to request footage from specific users through Amazon. However, Ring adjusted its policy in 2021 to require police to publicly request clips from users who live in specific areas in the Neighbors app, rather than contact them privately.
"Ring is now on track to get out of the business of freely providing users with police-requested footage," Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in a statement. "We remain deeply skeptical about the ability of law enforcement and Ring to determine what is or is not an emergency to require the company to turn over footage without a warrant or user consent."
In addition to discontinuing the "Ask for Help" feature, Ring is also introducing other features in its Neighbors app, including a "RingMoments" post category that lets users share more than just snippets about crime and safety. Additionally, Ring is launching a "Best of Ring" feed, which may make the app look like a more aggressive version of TikTok, as it offers a scrollable "curated collection" of Ring videos. It's unclear how Amazon selects these videos (users can opt out), but it reminds me of the "RingNation" TV show that civil rights groups urged Amazon to cancel.