Amazon's Privacy Concerns
Amazon is expanding its reach into users' privacy, and it's happening without much awareness. When Ring introduced its new products, it featured a upcoming feature called Search Party, which utilized AI to find lost pets by scanning home security footage from neighborhood Ring cams.
Who doesn’t want to help reunite families with a lost pet?
However, it didn't take long for this technology to be applied to other uses. According to a story by Elissa Welle in The Verge, Amazon is partnering with Flock to allow law enforcement to request footage from Ring cams in the Neighbors app. Although Amazon has previously worked with government agencies, this new development enables local law enforcement to request user footage, raising concerns about privacy.
- Amazon's partnership with Flock enables law enforcement to request footage from Ring cams.
- Local law enforcement can now request user footage through the Neighbors app.
While there are opt-outs available, the direction this is heading is unsettling. Author's summary: Amazon threatens user privacy.