Amazon handed doorbell cam Ring data to US police 11 times so far in 2022
(2022/07/14)
- Reference: 1657806312
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/07/14/amazon_gave_police_unauthorized_doorbell/
- Source link:
Amazon-owned home security company Ring turned over footage to US law enforcement without permission from the devices' owners 11 times so far in 2022, according to details unveiled by Massachusetts senator Ed Markey.
Despite Amazon [1]policy that police cannot view recordings without owners' explicit permission, that policy does not apply to subpoenas and emergency requests – which is exactly what Amazon said happened in these 11 cases, although it seems the judge of what constitutes emergency request is left up to Ring itself.
"In each instance, Ring made a good-faith determination that there was an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to a person requiring disclosure of information without delay," Amazon's vice president of public policy Brian Huseman told Markey in a [2]written response [PDF] to a list of surveillance-practice related [3]questions posed in June.
[4]
For those who voluntarily share content with law enforcement, Amazon offers Ring users access to a platform called Neighbors Public Safety Service (NPSS), which allows participating police departments to request footage. Over 2,100 policing agencies have now joined, amounting to 500 percent more than in 2019.
[5]
[6]
Markey's concerns surround the use of such devices as privacy invasions that increase law enforcement reliance on consumer surveillance systems. For Ring, that amounts to 10 million device users, meaning millions of neighbors, passersby and visitors to a door are subjected to surveillance without their knowledge.
"As my ongoing investigation into Amazon illustrates, it has become increasingly difficult for the public to move, assemble, and converse in public without being tracked and recorded," [7]said Senator Markey, who [8]warned [PDF] there was a potential for Ring devices to facilitate blackmail, stalking and other damaging practices.
[9]
"Recent research indicates that in addition to capturing troves of video recordings, Ring products also surveil the public by capturing vast amounts of audio recordings," [10]said Markey in a letter [PDF] to Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy, who in turn noted that Ring did not currently offer voice recognition.
[11]Did ID.me hoodwink Americans with IRS facial-recognition tech?
[12]US must adopt USB-C charging standard like EU, senators urge
[13]Declassified and released: More secret files on US govt's emergency doomsday powers
[14]UK signs deal to share police biometric database with US border guards
Ring doorbells are motion activated and [15]do record audio up to 20 feet (about 6 meters) away, a distance which could potentially encroach into a neighbor's property or the street. Other doorbells can detect audio even further.
Markey's concerns include where the technology is eventually going. He offered the following tweet after publishing Amazon's letter online:
Ring refused to commit to not incorporating voice recognition technology in its products. We must hold corporations accountable and pass my Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act to stop law enforcement from accessing sensitive biometric information. — Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) [16]July 13, 2022
The [17]Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act was introduced in House in June 2021.
[18]According to Markey, who helped introduce the bill, it "responds to reports that hundreds of local, state, and federal entities, including law enforcement agencies, have used unregulated facial recognition technologies and research showing that that roughly half of US adults are already in facial recognition databases."
If passed, it would prohibit government biometric surveillance without explicit statutory authorization. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360031595491
[2] https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/amazon_response_to_senator_markey-july_13_2022.pdf
[3] https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markeys-probe-into-amazon-ring-reveals-new-privacy-problems
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markeys-probe-into-amazon-ring-reveals-new-privacy-problems
[8] https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/senator_markey_letter_to_amazon_on_ring_audio_and_law_enforcement.pdf
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/senator_markey_letter_to_amazon_on_ring_audio_and_law_enforcement.pdf
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/18/senate_ftc_idme/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/17/usb_us_senate/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/28/documents_reveal_secretive_government_plans/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/04/uk_us_border_biometric_data/
[15] https://www.consumerreports.org/video-doorbells/video-doorbell-cameras-record-audio-too-a4636115889/
[16] https://twitter.com/SenMarkey/status/1547276420027748353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17] https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3907/text?r=7&s=1#:~:text=Introduced%20in%20House%20(06%2F15%2F2021)&text=To%20prohibit%20biometric%20surveillance%20by,that%20engage%20in%20biometric%20surveillance.
[18] https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-merkley-lead-colleagues-on-legislation-to-ban-government-use-of-facial-recognition-other-biometric-technology
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Despite Amazon [1]policy that police cannot view recordings without owners' explicit permission, that policy does not apply to subpoenas and emergency requests – which is exactly what Amazon said happened in these 11 cases, although it seems the judge of what constitutes emergency request is left up to Ring itself.
"In each instance, Ring made a good-faith determination that there was an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to a person requiring disclosure of information without delay," Amazon's vice president of public policy Brian Huseman told Markey in a [2]written response [PDF] to a list of surveillance-practice related [3]questions posed in June.
[4]
For those who voluntarily share content with law enforcement, Amazon offers Ring users access to a platform called Neighbors Public Safety Service (NPSS), which allows participating police departments to request footage. Over 2,100 policing agencies have now joined, amounting to 500 percent more than in 2019.
[5]
[6]
Markey's concerns surround the use of such devices as privacy invasions that increase law enforcement reliance on consumer surveillance systems. For Ring, that amounts to 10 million device users, meaning millions of neighbors, passersby and visitors to a door are subjected to surveillance without their knowledge.
"As my ongoing investigation into Amazon illustrates, it has become increasingly difficult for the public to move, assemble, and converse in public without being tracked and recorded," [7]said Senator Markey, who [8]warned [PDF] there was a potential for Ring devices to facilitate blackmail, stalking and other damaging practices.
[9]
"Recent research indicates that in addition to capturing troves of video recordings, Ring products also surveil the public by capturing vast amounts of audio recordings," [10]said Markey in a letter [PDF] to Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy, who in turn noted that Ring did not currently offer voice recognition.
[11]Did ID.me hoodwink Americans with IRS facial-recognition tech?
[12]US must adopt USB-C charging standard like EU, senators urge
[13]Declassified and released: More secret files on US govt's emergency doomsday powers
[14]UK signs deal to share police biometric database with US border guards
Ring doorbells are motion activated and [15]do record audio up to 20 feet (about 6 meters) away, a distance which could potentially encroach into a neighbor's property or the street. Other doorbells can detect audio even further.
Markey's concerns include where the technology is eventually going. He offered the following tweet after publishing Amazon's letter online:
Ring refused to commit to not incorporating voice recognition technology in its products. We must hold corporations accountable and pass my Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act to stop law enforcement from accessing sensitive biometric information. — Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) [16]July 13, 2022
The [17]Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act was introduced in House in June 2021.
[18]According to Markey, who helped introduce the bill, it "responds to reports that hundreds of local, state, and federal entities, including law enforcement agencies, have used unregulated facial recognition technologies and research showing that that roughly half of US adults are already in facial recognition databases."
If passed, it would prohibit government biometric surveillance without explicit statutory authorization. ®
Get our [19]Tech Resources
[1] https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360031595491
[2] https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/amazon_response_to_senator_markey-july_13_2022.pdf
[3] https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markeys-probe-into-amazon-ring-reveals-new-privacy-problems
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markeys-probe-into-amazon-ring-reveals-new-privacy-problems
[8] https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/senator_markey_letter_to_amazon_on_ring_audio_and_law_enforcement.pdf
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YtA9p7ruhHdeeH48zUsaLgAAABE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/senator_markey_letter_to_amazon_on_ring_audio_and_law_enforcement.pdf
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/18/senate_ftc_idme/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/17/usb_us_senate/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/28/documents_reveal_secretive_government_plans/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/04/uk_us_border_biometric_data/
[15] https://www.consumerreports.org/video-doorbells/video-doorbell-cameras-record-audio-too-a4636115889/
[16] https://twitter.com/SenMarkey/status/1547276420027748353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17] https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3907/text?r=7&s=1#:~:text=Introduced%20in%20House%20(06%2F15%2F2021)&text=To%20prohibit%20biometric%20surveillance%20by,that%20engage%20in%20biometric%20surveillance.
[18] https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-merkley-lead-colleagues-on-legislation-to-ban-government-use-of-facial-recognition-other-biometric-technology
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: One up on Stalin
Yet Another Anonymous coward
No need when everyone posts their opinion of the government on Facebook and uploads their storming of the winter palace to Instagram.
I suppose a network of secret microphones could be useful to find out what the driver of the pickup truck covered in swastikas, Confederate flags and Fuck Joe Biden stickers really thinks about the party
Re: One up on Stalin
Gene Cash
20 feet for a microphone or camera is NOT a real achievement. If it couldn't do that, it would be quite defective.
I assume 20 feet is the range of the motion sensor. That's only about halfway to the street, and far less than the annoying lights for security cameras that people use here.
Re: One up on Stalin
Paul Herber
20 feet, in some places that is all the way across the street and into the house opposite!
Depends
Anonymous Coward
Active 911 call from the customer's address then a live doorbell camera might be useful to the police without waiting for the victim to logon and agree to terms and conditions
Or
Police decide that somebody at the other end if the street us a drug dealer (or black=same thing) and gets your camera footage to record every passing car. No need to ask you since you aren't in the image, right ?
11 times ?
Yet Another Anonymous coward
1st time was all footage for all cameras in January
2nd time was all footage for all cameras in February
.....
Somebody was away at the start of December and nobody else knew the password
There is a current meme ...
Anonymous Coward
With a pin sharp picture of a galaxy 13 billion light years away courtesy of the JW telescope.
Alongside a pretty typical CCTV snap taken at 10 feet where the perpetrators own mother would fail to recognise them.
And despite having CCTV footage for a number of breaking over the years, not one has led to an arrest let alone property recovery.
#justsayin'
One up on Stalin
" Ring doorbells are motion activated and do record audio up to 20 feet (about 6 meters) away, a distance which could potentially encroach into a neighbor's property or the street. Other doorbells can detect audio even further. "
In Solzhenitsyn's 'The First Circle' a plan was suggested to plant microphones in the backs of park benches - it may indeed have been done in reality. But six or more metres - that's a real achievement. At modern housing densities that means pretty much everything anyone says out of doors gets recorded by Amazon. And that's not even being done by a state agency.