Amazon's Ring doorbell cameras attract congressional concern
Amazon-owned doorbell camera company Ring is facing questions from a U.S. senator over its partnerships with police departments around the country.
Sen. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, sent a letter Thursday to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos raising privacy and civil liberty concerns about Ring cameras that are capturing and storing footage of U.S. neighborhoods.
Markey is seeking more information from Bezos about Ring's video-sharing agreements with law enforcement agencies. The lawmaker says he's also alarmed that Ring may be pursuing facial recognition technology that could flag certain people as suspicious.
Ring says it's reviewing the letter.
Many police agencies have said the partnerships with Ring's crime-focused social network serve as a digital neighborhood watch . Critics complain it turns neighborhoods into places of constant surveillance and creates suspicion that falls heavier on minorities.
The Washington Post reported last week that more than 400 police agencies have signed agreements with Ring since the company began the partnerships last year.
Citation:
Amazon's Ring doorbell cameras attract congressional concern (2019, September 6)
retrieved 28 March 2024
from https://techxplore.com/news/2019-09-amazon-doorbell-cameras-congressional.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Let us know if there is a problem with our content
E-mail the story
Amazon's Ring doorbell cameras attract congressional concern
Your Privacy
This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads
personalisation and provide content from third parties.
By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy
Policy
and Terms of
Use.