Under pressure from US citizens, doorbell camera company Ring has announced it will end its partnership with Flock Safety, which provides automated license-plate reading systems. This decision comes amid concerns that their products might enable artificial intelligence (AI) and law enforcement to spy on users.
In a statement released on Thursday, Ring said a thorough review revealed that integrating Flock Safety would require much more time and resources than expected. The integration had not been launched, and no Ring customer videos were shared with Flock Safety.
Despite this, the statement did not address the “Search Party” feature, which has sparked controversy. Flock Safety faces criticism for its products being used by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol. It remains uncertain whether ending this partnership will affect Ring’s “Search Party,” which is already operational.
Ring was also under fire for a 30-second advertisement aired during the recent Super Bowl. The ad, seen by nearly 125 million viewers, featured a fictional family using the “Search Party” to find their lost dog through connected outdoor cameras, with the company’s founder and CEO, Jamie Siminoff, narrating.
Critics quickly highlighted that the “Search Party” could also be used to track people. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey condemned the ad on social media, labelling it as “mass surveillance.” In response, a Ring spokesperson stated that the “Search Party” feature is designed only for tracking dogs, asserting that it does not process human biometrics at this time.
