Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks privacy concerns over new Search Party feature
The company is not accused of any wrongdoing. Still, the ad quickly generated concern and speculation online about how similar technology might be used in the future.
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A Super Bowl commercial for Ring doorbell cameras has sparked a debate over privacy, even as the company insists its newest feature was built with strong safeguards.
The ad introduced Search Party, a tool designed to help locate lost pets.
The company is not accused of any wrongdoing. Still, the ad quickly generated concern and speculation online about how similar technology might be used in the future.
“It’s for a purpose, to find that dog in this case,” said Lance Ulanoff, editor-at-large at TechRadar. “But what’s to say they won’t use it in other ways? We immediately were like, does this also mean you can find people?”
An Amazon spokesperson said Search Party was built with strong privacy protections. Camera owners must opt in on a case-by-case basis if they want to share their footage to assist in a pet search. According to the company, no videos are shared automatically.
Jamie Siminoff, the founder of Ring, emphasized that the feature’s capabilities are currently limited.
“Right now, the Search Party feature is built just for dogs,” Siminoff said. “So it’s built to look for dogs.”
However, Ring already offers another feature known as Community Requests, which is used by law enforcement agencies, including the Old Westbury Police Department and several others across Long Island. Through a third-party evidence management system, investigators can request video footage from Ring camera owners in specific areas.
Stuart Cameron, chief of the Old Westbury Police Department, said participation is not automatic.
“It’s all 100% voluntary,” Cameron said. “I think the Super Bowl commercial that Ring had made it look like it was an automated process where cameras could just be accessed without people’s consent, and that caused a lot of pushback.”
An Amazon spokesperson added that only local law enforcement agencies can create Community Requests.
