HomeAmazon hit with class action lawsuit over Ring facial recognition feature
Amazon was hit with a lawsuit on Monday over privacy concerns tied to its Ring doorbell cameras. The class action, filed in Seattle by Virginia resident Charles Sigwalt, argues that Ring’s Familiar Faces feature captures images of people passing by without their permission.
Ring first announced the Familiar Faces feature last September, drawing criticism from consumer protection groups like the EFF and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). Despite the pushback, the company launched the feature in December.
Familiar Faces uses AI facial recognition to help Ring users identify people who frequently visit their home. For example, instead of a generic alert like “A person is at the door,” the device can send a more specific notification such as “Dad is at the door” when a regular visitor—like a family member, mail carrier, or neighbor—arrives. Users must opt in to activate this feature, but privacy advocates point out that individuals walking past these cameras have not agreed to facial recognition scans. This same concern lies at the heart of the class action lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, “Millions of other Americans passed by a Ring security camera and unknowingly had their facial recognition information collected.”
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When the feature launched, the company stated that face data is encrypted and never shared, and that unidentified faces are automatically deleted after 30 days.
Amazon’s Ring has a history of questionable privacy practices. In 2023, the company settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and paid a $5.8 million fine over allegations that employees and contractors improperly accessed private videos of female customers. The FTC’s complaint revealed that every employee had full access to all customer videos, even without a legitimate need. Ring has also maintained ties with law enforcement, at one point allowing police to request footage from users without a warrant.
After airing a Super Bowl ad promoting Search Party—an AI-powered feature that uses Ring footage to locate lost pets—the company faced similar backlash. Days later, Ring canceled its plans to partner with video surveillance firm Flock Safety, which had reportedly provided footage to ICE and other federal agencies. When Ring founder Jamie Siminoff spoke with TechCrunch after the cancellation, he indicated that the deal would have created too much of a “workload.”
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Amazon was hit with a lawsuit on Monday over privacy concerns tied to its Ring doorbell cameras. The class action, filed in Seattle by Virginia resident Charles Sigwalt, argues that Ring’s Familiar Faces feature captures images of people passing by without their permission.
Ring first announced the Familiar Faces feature last September, drawing criticism from consumer protection groups like the EFF and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). Despite the pushback, the company launched the feature in December.
Familiar Faces uses AI facial recognition to help Ring users identify people who frequently visit their home. For example, instead of a generic alert like “A person is at the door,” the device can send a more specific notification such as “Dad is at the door” when a regular visitor—like a family member, mail carrier, or neighbor—arrives. Users must opt in to activate this feature, but privacy advocates point out that individuals walking past these cameras have not agreed to facial recognition scans. This same concern lies at the heart of the class action lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, “Millions of other Americans passed by a Ring security camera and unknowingly had their facial recognition information collected.”
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When the feature launched, the company stated that face data is encrypted and never shared, and that unidentified faces are automatically deleted after 30 days.
Amazon’s Ring has a history of questionable privacy practices. In 2023, the company settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and paid a $5.8 million fine over allegations that employees and contractors improperly accessed private videos of female customers. The FTC’s complaint revealed that every employee had full access to all customer videos, even without a legitimate need. Ring has also maintained ties with law enforcement, at one point allowing police to request footage from users without a warrant.
After airing a Super Bowl ad promoting Search Party—an AI-powered feature that uses Ring footage to locate lost pets—the company faced similar backlash. Days later, Ring canceled its plans to partner with video surveillance firm Flock Safety, which had reportedly provided footage to ICE and other federal agencies. When Ring founder Jamie Siminoff spoke with TechCrunch after the cancellation, he indicated that the deal would have created too much of a “workload.”
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