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Ring Will Stop Giving Cops a Free Pass on Warrantless Video Requests

The Amazon-owned home surveillance company says it is shuttering a feature in its Neighbors app that allows police to request footage from users. But it’s not shutting out the cops entirely.

Ring, the Amazon-owned home surveillance company known for its long historyof partnering with police, announced today that it plans to shut down a controversial tool that allows law enforcement to ask users to share their footage without first obtaining a warrant. Local, state, and federal elected officials should ban these types of private surveillance partnerships entirely, and should impose strict limits on where homeowners and businesses can place cameras to ensure they are not violating their neighbors’ privacy and rights,” Greer said. This shift, according to the company’s announcement today, includes the launch of “Ring Moments,” which encourages users to share content that inspires “joy and hope,” such as a video of a bear in a swimming pool or neighbors helping each other shovel snow.

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