Ring has killed the last remnants of a controversial program that allowed public safety agencies to request video recordings from Ring users via the Neighbors app.
In a press release, Ring announced that it is “sunsetting” Request for Assistance (RFA), a Neighbors feature that allowed law enforcement officials to request and receive video clips recorded by Ring doorbell and camera owners.
Ring launched the Request for Assistance tool back in 2021, after it came to light that law-enforcement agencies were privately requesting video recordings from Ring doorbell and camera owners. Police, fire departments, and other public safety agencies made more than 20,000 such requests in 2020 alone.
The revelation sparked widespread criticism of Ring’s privacy policies and practices.
The Request for Assistance tool was intended to allow emergency agencies to make public requests for videos on the Neighbors app, but the feature remained a bone of contention for privacy advocates.
Under the new policy, these agencies won’t be able to make such requests at all, although they will still be able to make public Neighbors posts to “share helpful safety tips, updates, and community events,” according to Ring.
The Ring Neighbors app will be gaining two new user-friendly categories, but law enforcement will no longer be able to request videos as part of their investigations.
Michael Brown/Foundry
On a lighter note, Ring also announced a new posting category in its Neighbors app.
Dubbed Ring Moments, users will soon be able to post recordings of humorous, heartwarming, and other kinds of video recordings not related to crime or safety. Ring often features these types of recordings in its television commercials—with the owners’ permission, of course.
A second new category, Best of Ring, will feature a curated collection of clips, not necessarily limited to activities in a user’s neighborhood.
