Amazon’s Ring now works with video surveillance company Flock

Amazon’s astute doorbell institution Ring is now working with the AI-powered surveillance camera institution Flock. According to a letter sent to the company by Sen. Ron Wyden, Flock had allowed information access to the Secret Service and the Navy — arsenic good arsenic ICE, arsenic antecedently reported by 404 Media.

The concern is done Ring’s Community Request program. In April, Ring announced different concern with Axon, the institution behind Taser. 

Now, section US instrumentality enforcement agencies that usage Flock’s platforms Nova oregon FlockOS tin petition video footage from Ring users done the Neighbors app. In the request, Ring says that instrumentality enforcement indispensable see details astir an alleged crime and its clip and location. They indispensable besides see a “unique probe code.” A petition for footage volition look successful Ring’s Neighbors app provender to each users successful definite areas of interest.  

Ring tells its users that information successful the Community Request programme is “completely optional.” Users tin crook disconnected notifications for the petition entirely, and the institution says that instrumentality enforcement agencies cannot spot who does oregon does not person their requests oregon who declines to respond to their requests. Ring says that the rollout volition hap successful the coming months. 

For years, it’s been reported that Ring works with instrumentality enforcement, often providing information without a warrant. It discontinued its Request for Assistance diagnostic successful the Neighbors app successful 2024, but kept unfastened the enactment of warrantless granting of information during what the institution considers “emergencies,” a carveout besides utilized by Google for its Nest data.