Ring’s AI-powered Search Party won’t stop at finding lost dogs, leaked email shows
Summary
A leaked email reveals Ring's ambitious vision for its AI-powered Search Party feature, aiming to significantly reduce crime in neighborhoods. This follows recent criticism of the company's Super Bowl ad promoting the technology for locating lost pets.
Key Insights
What is Ring's Search Party feature and how does it work?
Search Party is an AI-powered feature in Ring's doorbell cameras that scans footage across multiple Ring devices in a neighborhood to identify and locate lost pets. When someone reports a lost dog in the Ring app, nearby outdoor Ring cameras with the feature enabled use AI analysis to scan their footage and attempt to match the dog against the reported pet, helping reunite lost animals with their owners.
What privacy concerns exist regarding Ring's Search Party feature and its potential expansion?
Privacy advocates warn that Search Party's neighborhood-wide scanning capability could be combined with Ring's existing facial recognition technology (Familiar Faces) to enable broader surveillance beyond lost pets. Additionally, Ring has established partnerships with law enforcement agencies Axon and Flock Safety that allow police to request Ring footage directly from users, raising concerns about how AI-powered scanning features could be leveraged for surveillance purposes beyond their stated function.
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