Amazon is being sued over its Ring doorbell's facial recognition feature, which allegedly collects data from millions of people without their consent. The class action lawsuit, filed in Seattle by Virginia resident Charles Sigwalt, claims that Ring’s Familiar Faces feature stores images of passersby without their permission. Ring introduced the feature last September and faced criticism from consumer groups and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), but proceeded with its launch in December. The feature uses AI to identify regular visitors, providing more specific notifications like 'Dad is at the door' instead of a generic alert. However, privacy advocates argue that individuals passing by Ring doorbells have not consented to facial recognition scans, a central issue in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, 'Millions of other Americans passed by a Ring security camera and unknowingly had their facial recognition information collected.' Amazon has stated that face data is encrypted and not shared, with unidentified faces removed after 30 days. The company also faces a history of privacy concerns, including a $5.8 million fine in 2023 for improper access to customer videos by employees. Ring has also collaborated with law enforcement, allowing police to request footage without a warrant. The company faced backlash after promoting a Super Bowl ad for its AI-powered Search Party feature, which uses Ring footage to find lost pets, and later canceled a partnership with Flock Safety, which has ties to federal agencies.
Source: techcrunch