Home / Technology / Ring Ditches Flock Safety Partnership Amid Backlash
Ring Ditches Flock Safety Partnership Amid Backlash
13 Feb
Summary
- Ring canceled its Flock Safety integration after a Super Bowl ad caused backlash.
- Senator Ed Markey called Ring's surveillance technology 'creepy'.
- Flock Safety license plate readers have been linked to ICE operations.
Ring has officially halted its planned integration with Flock Safety, a company known for its license plate readers. This decision comes just days after Ring's Super Bowl advertisement generated significant public criticism regarding privacy concerns. The proposed integration would have connected Flock Safety's technology to Ring's Community Requests program, which allows law enforcement to request video footage for investigations through a third-party system.
Senator Ed Markey voiced his opposition, labeling Ring's technology as 'creepy' and highlighting the potential for misuse, particularly after Amazon's previous rollout of facial recognition technology in its Ring doorbells. The controversy intensified due to concerns that Flock Safety's data could be used in conjunction with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, despite Flock Safety's claims of not directly working with ICE.
In its announcement, Ring cited that the integration would require more time and resources than initially expected. Both Ring and Flock Safety confirmed the decision was mutual and that no video footage was ever shared with Flock Safety as part of the never-launched integration. This move appears to be a direct response to the public outcry and scrutiny faced by Ring.
