Loading story…
Amazon has introduced a new facial recognition feature called Familiar Faces for its Ring doorbell cameras, allowing users to create a library of recognized individuals and receive customized notifications. Privacy experts and lawmakers have raised significant concerns about the technology, highlighting that it collects biometric data from anyone within the camera's view, often without their knowledge or consent. Critics argue that this feature could lead to mass surveillance, especially given Amazon's history of partnerships with law enforcement agencies. The feature is opt-in, but once enabled, it can automatically scan and catalog faces, creating a unique "faceprint" for each individual.
Senator Ed Markey has publicly criticized the rollout, calling it a "privacy nightmare" and warning that individuals have little recourse to have their biometric data deleted, aside from requesting each Ring owner to erase it individually. Amazon has responded by stating that Ring owners are responsible for complying with local biometric data laws, noting that the feature is illegal in some jurisdictions such as Illinois. The debate underscores growing concerns about the use of facial recognition technology in consumer devices and the potential for widespread surveillance without adequate privacy protections.
See the reporting duties and controls this puts on the clock.
2 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Senator Ed Markey publicly condemned Ring's facial recognition feature as a 'privacy nightmare' after a letter from Ring said device owners may retain captured biometric data indefinitely and that affected individuals lack a centralized way to request deletion.
Amazon rolled out a new opt-in 'Familiar Faces' feature for Ring doorbell cameras that lets users save and label people using AI-powered facial recognition, with availability restricted in some states with biometric privacy laws.
Vulnerabilities, threat actors, malware, products, organizations, and breaches Mallory has linked to this story.
See what this changes for your reporting obligations and which controls it puts on the clock.
2 references tracked. Mallory keeps watching after this page renders.
Map indicators from this story to your assets and identify affected systems in minutes.
Every observed campaign, victim, and pivot linked to actors named in this story.
Malware, exploits, and IOCs connected to the activity described here.
YARA, Sigma, and Snort rules deployed to your SIEM as soon as they’re published.
Get matching new stories delivered to your team as they break — not the next morning.
Ask questions about this story and take action on the answers.
Other stories Mallory is tracking that overlap on entities, sources, or topic labels.
Amazon’s Ring announced a new partnership with Flock Safety, a company known for its AI-powered surveillance cameras and extensive law enforcement clientele, including federal agencies such as ICE, the Secret Service, and the Navy. This collaboration will enable approximately 5,000 local law enforcement agencies to request access to footage from Ring cameras through Flock’s surveillance platforms, FlockOS and Flock Nova. Law enforcement officers will be able to send direct posts in the Ring Neighbors app, specifying the location, timeframe, investigation code, and details of the incident for which footage is being sought. Ring users can review these requests anonymously and voluntarily submit their footage, which Flock will securely package and deliver to the requesting agency. Flock’s technology is notable for its ability to scan license plates and other vehicle identifiers, as well as perform natural language searches to find individuals matching specific descriptions in video footage. The partnership raises significant privacy concerns, as Flock’s AI-powered systems have been criticized for exacerbating racial biases in law enforcement operations. The integration of Ring’s vast network of consumer cameras with Flock’s law enforcement tools could potentially provide authorities with access to millions of additional video feeds. This development has reignited longstanding debates about surveillance, privacy, and the potential for abuse, especially given Ring’s previous issues with video security and employee access. In 2023, the FTC fined Ring $5.8 million after it was revealed that employees and contractors had unrestricted access to customer videos for years. The partnership is positioned as a tool for evidence collection and investigative work, but critics warn that it could further erode the privacy of individuals whose homes and neighborhoods are monitored by Ring devices. The collaboration also highlights the growing trend of private surveillance technology companies working closely with law enforcement, blurring the lines between public safety and personal privacy. Flock’s announcement emphasizes that all footage sharing remains voluntary, but the scale and ease of law enforcement requests may pressure users to comply. The partnership is expected to streamline investigative processes for police, but it also amplifies concerns about the normalization of mass surveillance in residential areas. Privacy advocates are calling for greater transparency and oversight regarding how footage is requested, shared, and used by authorities. The move underscores the increasing reliance of law enforcement on private-sector surveillance infrastructure, raising questions about accountability and the protection of civil liberties.
Jun 29, 2026
Amazon-owned **Ring** said it has cancelled its planned partnership with **Flock Safety**, which would have enabled Ring doorbell users to share video with Flock’s law-enforcement network for “evidence collection and investigative work.” Both companies said the decision was mutual and attributed it to implementation complexity, stating the integration would “require significantly more time and resources than anticipated.” The cancellation followed public backlash after a Ring Super Bowl advertisement highlighted AI-enabled search capabilities, prompting renewed privacy concerns about how networked consumer cameras and related features could be used for surveillance. Reporting also highlighted controversy around Flock’s expanding footprint of **automated license plate reader (ALPR)** and other AI-enabled camera deployments, including claims that some agencies accessed or searched databases without authorization and that footage has been used by federal entities (including immigration enforcement), issues that have led some cities to end contracts; Amazon additionally emphasized the integration **was never live** and that **no videos were shared** between Ring and Flock.
Jun 29, 2026
Amazon-owned **Ring** canceled its partnership with **Flock**, a surveillance technology company, after intensified public criticism of Ring’s expanding neighborhood-monitoring capabilities. Commentary highlighted the move as an indicator of how reputationally “toxic” Flock has become in the surveillance ecosystem, and the episode renewed broader concerns about consumer camera products being used to support law-enforcement and mass-surveillance workflows. The backlash was catalyzed by Ring’s *Search Party* feature, promoted in a Super Bowl ad as a way to use a network of Ring cameras to help find lost dogs; reporting citing a leaked internal Ring email indicated the capability could extend to locating other animals and **people**, prompting accusations of a “neighborhood surveillance dragnet.” In parallel, the **Fulu Foundation** (linked to right-to-repair advocate Louis Rossmann) announced a **$10,000 bounty** for techniques that can modify Ring cameras to stop sharing data with Amazon, as some users publicly destroyed devices and Ring CEO **Jamie Siminoff** conducted public damage control following the criticism.
Jun 29, 2026