The ‘standard ring’ AI tool has been accused of breaching the country’s privacy laws

On September 30, Amazon announced new security cameras and AI features at an event in New York City. Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation says one of those AI features, a tool called face familiarization, “has the potential to violate the privacy rights of millions of people and could lead to Amazon Briometric’s privacy laws getting out of hand.”

Mashable learned of the event on Sep. 30, where ring founder and leader Jamie Siminoff gave a new vision of AI Work Lost Ae. Sminofly has just come roaring back, and has made focusing on AI one of his top priorities.

He also revitalized the ring’s work by enforcing the law, a source of controversy in the past, after the company was dissolved in this way in recent years. The ring was founded by Simoff in 2013, and the businessman eventually sold the company to Amazon for $1 billion. However, Simoni left the company in 2023 before returning in 2025.

What is a familiar face, and how do they violate privacy laws?

Like almost every Tech Company, Ring includes AI. That includes a new standard face tool, which gives ring cameras the ability to recognize trusted friends, neighbors, or family members to provide customized notifications and home monitoring. (Or, as Amazon explains, “familiar faces recognize familiar people and enable customers to reduce notifications caused by familiar human activities.”)

To do this, ring cameras conduct face scans on people who enter the camera’s view, without consent or knowledge. Ring camera users can turn the feature on or off, however.

This week, the EFF said the device does not violate state privacy laws that require consumers to opt-in to devices such as facial scanners.

“Most biometric privacy laws are all clear: Companies need your consent before getting facial recognition from you,” writes Mario Trujillo in a new EFF report.

Trujilo also points out that Amazon has already confirmed that “the feature will not be available in Illinois and Texas – suggesting that the feature could not survive legal scrutiny there.”

“Amazon says it will provide in-app messages to customers, reminding them to comply with applicable laws. But the company itself collects, processes, and stores this biometric information – it may have its consent obligations under many laws,” wrote Trujilo.

History of the ring controversy with user privacy

Ring, Amazon’s brand of video door entry and smart security cameras, doesn’t have the best record for user privacy. In fact, this may be the problem.

Mashable reported on the company’s repeated privacy controversies. Progressive critics have also taken issue with the company’s work with law enforcement over the years, including the sharing of footage of users by police without their knowledge or consent, without their knowledge or consent.

Most notably, in 2023, the FTC accused the ring of allowing employees and contractors to view private videos of users, which eventually led to a settlement.

Despite this, the ring remains a very popular product, and video hockerbells and security cameras can be found in millions of homes. And while critics make the company’s work too close to law enforcement, some customers may see this as a positive aspect of a home security company.

What does Amazon say about general unity and privacy?

Amazon also introduced a ‘search team,’ which can help locate lost pets using neighborhood cameras.
Credit: Amazon / Ring

The EFF is not the only visible critic of mainstream unity. Democratic US Senator Ed Markey sent a letter on Oct. To call the company

In his letter, the Senator wrote:

“Although Amazon has explained that the owners of the embassy must enter the opening of the new face-to-face feature, that the protection has never been transferred to the database tested or entered the database using the fry. database without their knowledge or consent. This is an unacceptable violation of privacy.”

The EFF has also sent Amazon a list of questions about the common face feature, including whether it will be found that they need access to process sensitive data such as sensitive COOMETRIC Scans.

In response, the company wrote, “Customers are expected to use our products and features according to the law. We display a message within the app to remind customers that they may need to obtain permission before accessing people.”

In addition, Amazon told the EFF that standard facial processing takes place in the cloud, not on the device, although there are appropriate security measures in place.

“Ring’s jwer pures takes place in the cloud, not on the device. We use comprehensive security measures including encryption of data at rest and in finding a place to import a profile at any time, which leads to the removal of related biometric data.”

While privacy lawyers and Cing lawyers are taking the issue in stride, it’s unclear how many Amazon customers share these reservations. Indeed, for clients concerned about crime, face recognition and a close relationship with law enforcement can be an asset, not a hindrance.

The familiar face is launching in December, according to an Amazon Blog Post.