Learn how police are using Ring to create surveillance networks, and why it’s raising concerns among privacy advocates. We also have an interactive map so you can see if your local police department is working with Ring. In just four years, the Ring program reportedly has expanded to more than 225 cities across the nation. Through Ring, police departments have been given access to a portal that allows them to see a map of where Ring smart doorbells are installed. The program is alarming advocates for privacy and civil liberties who fear police requests for Ring footage will result in a surveillance network that operates without a formal warrant. Considering how difficult it’s been for police to get more Ring footage, it appears consumers also are exercising their right to privacy by refusing to turn over their videos. Police cannot demand that homeowners give them Ring footage without a warrant, but they have created a sneaky loophole. Many police departments are giving Ring video doorbells to homeowners for free or at a discount with the caveat that they turn over any requested footage in the future. Ring is pushing back by telling consumers they have a choice on whether to hand over footage to police, adding that it does not support such quid pro quo programs.
Map tracks police, Ring partnerships
There is no formal public list of which police departments are partnering with Ring, but there is a map. An enterprising student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign named Shreyas Gandlur has created an interactive map the public can use to see if their city has a partnership with Ring. See fullscreen In his blog, Gandlur writes that he gathered his information partly from the civil liberties group Fight for the Future’s existing map of cities that use facial recognition. He also scoured Twitter to find which police departments and cities had advertised their partnership with Ring. Gandlur’s map shows 236 cities partnering with Ring. He added that the list may be longer as it does not take into account cities that may still be negotiating with Ring. As it stands now, despite the partnership with Ring, police can nicely ask for, but not demand without a warrant, any smart doorbell owners’ footage. And it seems homeowners are standing by their right to privacy. If you want to get a Ring doorbell for your home, there are a few options to choose from and they’re all under $250. The Ring Video Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell 2, and Ring Video Doorbell Pro.
