Ring Won't Disclose User Data Shared with Police

Concerns Surrounding Ring Doorbell Data and Law Enforcement Access

Ring, the manufacturer of video doorbells, frequently faces criticism. This isn't solely due to its extensive surveillance capabilities or questions regarding privacy and security, but also because of its practice of sharing doorbell footage with law enforcement agencies.

Expanding Police Partnerships

Acquired by Amazon in 2018, Ring has established partnerships with over 1,800 police departments across the United States, a number that continues to grow. These departments are able to request video footage from Ring doorbell owners during active investigations.

Previously, these requests were made privately. However, Ring has recently implemented a change allowing police partners to publicly request footage through the Neighbors app.

Limited User Control and Ongoing Privacy Issues

While this alteration appears to grant users greater control over when police can access their footage, it doesn't address fundamental privacy concerns. Law enforcement can still potentially access user footage without obtaining a warrant.

Critics point out that the widespread network of privately owned Ring doorbells creates a potential legal loophole for police to obtain surveillance data.

Transparency Report Deficiencies

Ring published a transparency report in January, revealing it received over 1,900 legal demands for information in 2020 – more than double the amount from the previous year. The company reports having “millions” of customers, but does not disclose specific sales figures.

Crucially, the report omits a key detail commonly found in similar reports from other tech companies: the number of users whose data was actually provided to law enforcement in response to these demands.

Refusal to Disclose User Data

When questioned, Ring declined to reveal how many users had their footage accessed by police. This lack of disclosure stems from the discretionary nature of how companies choose to report government data requests.

Comparison to Other Tech Companies

Most major technology companies, including Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Twitter, publish transparency reports detailing both the number of legal demands received and the number of users or accounts affected.

In some instances, the number of affected users can significantly exceed the number of demands received.

Amazon's Lack of Specificity

Amazon, Ring's parent company, is an exception among large tech firms. It does not provide a breakdown of the number of users whose information was shared with law enforcement.

Concerns About State Surveillance

“Ring is ostensibly a security camera company that makes devices you can put on your own homes, but it is increasingly also a tool of the state to conduct criminal investigations and surveillance,” states Matthew Guariglia, a policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Potential Solutions for Users

Ring users have the option to opt out of receiving requests from police, although this does not prevent law enforcement from obtaining a court order for their data.

Enabling end-to-end encryption can also prevent access to videos by anyone other than the user, including Ring itself.

Furthermore, Ring could release data on the number of users who have previously responded to police requests through the app.