Amazon’s Ring says it is cancelling its video doorbell partnership with police tech provider Flock Safety – following severe backlash over a Super Bowl ad that depicted a “surveillance state,” in the eyes of some critics.
The commercial touted the ability of Ring doorbells to reunite families with their lost dogs using a feature called “search party.” Owners can upload images of their lost pets to the app, which will launch the feature and use AI to scan neighborhood Ring cameras for matching images.
“Be a hero in your neighborhood,” a voicover intones as a young girl embraces her runaway golden retriever.
Outraged social media users blasted the spot, comparing the scenario to a “surveillance state” and George Orwell’s “1984” as they questioned whether the technology would also be used to identify humans.
In October, Amazon’s Ring revealed it was partnering with Flock Safety, a security software firm that sells license plate-scanning tech to law enforcement, to help fulfill “community requests.”
Unlike “search party,” which is automatically enabled and requires users to opt out, “community requests” seek out voluntary participation from Ring owners to send video footage to public agencies during active investigations.
Flock has faced backlash for allegedly sharing its license plate data with ICE agents to aid in the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, according to 404 Media. Flock denied this report, telling The Post it has no relationship with any Homeland Security agencies.
“That ring [sic] camera commercial was probably the scariest thing. You ain’t realize Amazon don’t care about helping you find a lost dog,” a user wrote on X after the Super Bowl ad aired. “They are gunna [sic] use that to track people and help ice [sic]. F–k that and f–k Amazon.”
“We created Big Brother in parentheses for dogs. I know what you’re thinking – no, it’s not the same thing as the book,” Spencer Earl, a comedian and social media influencer, said sarcastically in a viral TikTok video mocking the Super Bowl ad.
“This one’s only for dogs, ‘cause we said it was. We kind of just did this, and we didn’t ask anyone, because we can. Privacy is a big word, and it’s boring, and it’s frankly anti-dog.”
Ring said it was scrapping the partnership because it “would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated.”
The company said it did not send any Ring camera footage to Flock since the deal never officially launched. Flock told The Post the canceled deal was a mutual decision.
Ring said its “community requests” feature will remain in place without Flock’s technology.
“The feature empowers Ring camera owners to choose to share specific videos with local police in response to requests for help with active investigations – or ignore the request altogether. Participation is always voluntary,” Ring said in a blog post Friday.
Ring said the feature can help solve active police investigations, adding that it helped officers identify a witness in the Brown University shooting in December.
Tensions over data collection and privacy have been rising as software firms nab deals with government agencies.
More than 1,400 Salesforce staffers recently signed a letter demanding CEO Marc Benioff denounce recent actions by ICE agents and cut off business deals with the agency, according to a Wired report.
Just a few days prior, Benioff reportedly made an off-color joke during the firm’s annual conference that immigration agents were monitoring international employees in the building.
Demonstrators are planning a protest outside Amazon’s Seattle headquarters on Friday, calling on the company to cut ties with Flock, ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
Jeff Bezos’ e-commerce firm bought Ring in 2018 for $839 million. The company sells doorbell cameras that record footage and alert owners to suspicious activity on their property through an app.
Amazon did not immediately respond to noti.group’s request for comment.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
