Amazon’s Ring Adds Facial Recognition to Home Security
The company plans to scan faces at doorsteps to identify neighbors and friends, raising privacy concerns
Etienne Note: Please see our article: Is Amazon A Mason? Making the Case that AMAZON is Part of Organized Crime´s Control of Perception Program at https://artofliberty.org/amason/
Amazon’s Ring is introducing facial recognition for the first time on its home security doorbells and cameras, allowing users to identify friends, family, and neighbors. The feature, called “Familiar Faces,” will be optional for device owners and available starting in December, according to The Washington Post.
While the technology aims to alert users when recognized individuals approach their homes, privacy advocates warn it could affect anyone who passes within range of a Ring device without consent. “They are not consenting to this,” said Calli Schroeder, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
Ring spokeswoman Emma Daniels said the feature is designed to empower users to comply with relevant laws and use the technology responsibly. “Owners choose whether to enable the feature,” Daniels told The Washington Post, noting that the system allows users to tag recognized faces in the app by name or label, such as “neighbor.”
Facial recognition works by capturing unique facial contours, known as faceprints, and comparing them against a user’s database. Experts warn, however, that widespread deployment in residential areas carries risks of unauthorized use, potential hacking, and misuse by employees or law enforcement. Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, highlighted the ethical concerns of capturing images of people who are unaware their faces are being scanned.
The technology will be restricted in states like Illinois, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, due to privacy laws requiring consent for biometric data collection. Nevertheless, critics argue that for most residential situations, simply recording a live video feed or peeking outside could be just as effective as facial recognition.
Ring has faced scrutiny in the past for security lapses, including allegations that employees and contractors accessed private footage, leading to a 2023 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. The introduction of facial recognition represents a shift from earlier caution among tech companies, who had previously limited such tools over privacy concerns.
Privacy advocates like Schroeder note that increasing AI capabilities and public demand for security are driving renewed interest in facial recognition. “It feels like the social dynamics have really swung back in the other direction,” she said, emphasizing the growing debate over convenience versus privacy.
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My first reaction is... Uhhh what year is this?
Oh great they're slowly letting in the end users on to features that have been existent and automatic for years. Now who wants to talk about the human cognitive digital twins?
Next gen healthcare? Human augmentation? Extended Reality? Transcorporeality?
Why worry about facial recognition when someone's scoring you on how well you're digesting your lunch. Fecal recognition knows what that turd is made of before it hits the toilet whether it's a smart one or not.