Ring's Search Party Feature Criticized for Privacy Risks Amid Surveillance Concerns
Amazon's Ring has expanded its Search Party feature, designed to help locate lost dogs, to non-Ring camera owners via the Ring app. Promoted through a Super Bowl ad, the feature allows users to share images of lost pets, which are then matched with footage from nearby Ring cameras. Despite its intended purpose, the feature has been criticized as dystopian, with concerns that it could be repurposed for broader surveillance, particularly in light of Ring's recent rollout of facial recognition capabilities. Critics, including Senator Ed Markey, have voiced concerns about potential misuse for mass surveillance.