Amazon-owned home security company Ring announced Thursday it is ending its partnership with Flock Safety, a maker of AI-powered surveillance cameras that share footage with law enforcement.
The companies announced an agreement in October that would allow Ring doorbell users to share footage with Flock and its network of public safety agencies to aid in “evidence collection and investigative efforts.” As 404 Media reported, Flock's footage was used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Secret Service, and the Navy, all of which had access to Flock's tens of thousands of AI-enabled cameras. (Flock claims it is not explicitly working with ICE.)
Ring wrote in a blog post that it made a joint decision with Flock to end the partnership because the integration “will require significantly more time and resources than anticipated.”
The news comes less than a week after Ring's Super Bowl ad aired. The ad showed how Ring's AI-powered Search Party feature uses a network of neighborhood cameras to find lost dogs. The ad sparked controversy from viewers who feared the technology could be used against humans.
A Ring spokesperson said the technology “cannot process human biometrics.”
However, this technology is no different from Flock's technology. Flock's government and law enforcement partners can use footage from Flock's cameras to perform natural language searches on video footage to find people matching a specific description. When used in law enforcement, this AI-powered technology has been shown to exacerbate racial bias.
Ring introduced a facial recognition feature called “Familiar Faces” in December. This allows users to catalog the faces of people who frequently visit their home. That way, you might receive a notification that says “Mom is at the door” instead of “There's someone at the door.”
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The technology is being marketed to consumers in the United States at a time when people are especially aware of the dangers of mass surveillance. ICE uses this same type of facial recognition technology, powered by companies like Clearview AI, to locate people in mass deportation efforts.
While a partnership with Flock likely won't happen, Ring does have existing ways for users to share footage with law enforcement if they wish. The company accomplishes this in part through a partnership with Axon, a company similar to Flock.
Ring has previously struggled to keep its customers' videos secure. In 2023, the FTC ordered the company to pay $5.8 million for giving its employees and contractors unrestricted access to customers' videos for years.