The Blubber

Amazon, $AMZN, says it will stop letting police directly ask people for video from the company's Ring doorbell or home security cameras, per AFP.

Ring, the home security company owned by Amazon, is set to disable its Request For Assistance tool next week. This program allowed law enforcement to voluntarily seek footage from Ring users. Eric Kuhn, head of Ring’s Neighbors app, announced the decision in a blog post, revealing that police and fire departments will now need a warrant to request footage from users or provide evidence of an ongoing emergency.

The exact reason for disabling the tool was not specified by Kuhn, but Yassi Yarger, a spokesperson, mentioned that Ring is reallocating resources to focus on new products and experiences for the Neighbors app. The goal is to transform Neighbors into more of a community hub, emphasizing features like Ring Moments and Best of Ring. T

his marks a shift for Ring, which previously emphasized its mission to enhance public safety through surveillance. Other tech companies, such as Google, have also limited law enforcement access to user data. Civil liberties groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have criticized Ring for building a surveillance network accessible to law enforcement and questioned its handling of user data. Ring's decision comes after Amazon agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle a complaint by the US Federal Trade Commission regarding privacy and data security issues.

Matthew Guariglia of the EFF expressed skepticism about Ring and law enforcement accurately assessing emergency situations and noted that police could still seek Ring footage without a warrant by directly approaching users. Liz Hamren, CEO of Ring, mentioned last year that the company is rethinking its mission statement, considering its expanded portfolio of devices beyond doorbells.