What is Ring?
Ring as a surveillance camera
It’s this final functionality, i.e. Ring Doorbell’s surveillance capabilities, that has had most people up in arms. Not to mention the Ring Neighbors App. A neighborhood watch app that also allows users to opt-in to having their camera footage disclosed to law enforcement agencies.
Concerns Surrounding Ring Video Doorbells
The Ring’s video doorbells have raised many concerns. However, the three major concerns relate to breaches of privacy, lax corporate security practices and civil liberties violations.
Privacy violations
The first major concern relates to possible privacy violations. In this case it is not so much about privacy violations of Ring doorbell owners, but more so of a doorbell owner’s visitors and their neighbors. Ring doorbell owners can choose whether to use Ring’s surveillance camera functionality or not. Visitors coming to the door or people in the neighborhood, on the other hand, have no such say. Individual’s private lives could be videoed without them having provided approval. Nor do they have a say regarding what is done with the footage once taken. The privacy and security of millions of individuals could be placed in jeopardy without them even being aware of it. Especially if the footage falls into the wrong hands. People should have a right to know who, precisely, is in possession of video captured by Ring’s products.
Lax corporate security and safeguards
Civil liberties violations
A Ring spokesperson said in a statement: “Ring users place their trust in us to help protect their homes and communities, and we take that responsibility very seriously. Ring does not own or otherwise control users’ videos, and we intentionally designed the Neighbors Portal to ensure that users get to decide whether or not to voluntarily provide their videos to the police.” Are you reassured?
