Ring's Search Party Feature Raises Privacy Concerns Amid AI Surveillance Fears
Ring, a home security company owned by Amazon, has introduced a new feature called Search Party, which uses AI to help locate lost pets by scanning video footage from Ring devices. This feature, part of the Ring Neighbors platform, allows users to upload a photo of their lost pet, and the AI scans nearby Ring accounts for matching animals in recent videos. If a match is found, the pet owner is alerted to the general location, and the Ring device owner can choose to share the video. The feature is opt-out, meaning it is automatically enabled for devices with cloud video storage. Concerns have arisen about the potential for this technology to be used for human surveillance, especially given Ring's history of sharing information with law enforcement. However, Ring has stated that the feature does not currently track humans and has ended a pending partnership with the surveillance company Flock. 
