Amazon Ring’s police partnerships the focus of an open letter from 36 civil rights groups
October 8, 2019A surveillance network has expanded right under our noses in one of the places you may least expect — people’s doorbells. Since acquiring smart-doorbell company Ring in February 2018, Amazon’s built an extensive network of cameras across the country, and it’s sharing the information it gets. Now, 36 civil rights groups demand Amazon’s police partnerships end in an open letter released yesterday.
Published by digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future, the open letter demands local, state, and federal officials end their partnerships with Ring. In addition, it calls on Congress to investigate Ring’s practices, and for local governments to pass surveillance ordinances to “deter” police from partnering with companies like Ring again.