Amazon Ring drops police tech partnership over mass surveillance fears
What's the story
Ring, the Amazon-owned home security company, has canceled its partnership with Flock Safety. The decision comes after widespread criticism of the collaboration. Flock Safety is a surveillance technology firm that works closely with law enforcement agencies. In a statement on its blog, Ring said: "Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated."
Official response
Ring clarifies integration was never launched
Ring further clarified that the integration with Flock Safety was never launched. "We therefore made the joint decision to cancel the integration and continue with our current partners," the company said. The statement also emphasized Ring's commitment to its mission of making neighborhoods safer, while acknowledging the responsibility it carries toward customers and communities.
Consumer reaction
Backlash over Flock Safety partnership
The announcement of the partnership with Flock Safety in October 2025 had already drawn criticism from consumers. Many Ring users were so outraged by the news that they even encouraged others to destroy their cameras and dispose of their devices. The public outcry intensified after reports surfaced about ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) accessing Flock's network of surveillance cameras, leading to fears that Ring was providing a direct link to ICE.
Ad controversy
Controversial Super Bowl ad adds to concerns
Adding to the controversy, Ring aired a Super Bowl ad for its new AI-powered Search Party feature. The company says this feature is meant to help find lost dogs and isn't intended for people tracking. However, the ad showed multiple Ring cameras scanning a neighborhood, which raised concerns about potential mass surveillance practices by the company.
Tech concerns
New facial recognition feature raises mass-surveillance fears
Ring also recently launched a new facial recognition feature called Familiar Faces. The company says this is an opt-in feature that gives customers more control over alerts they receive while keeping their data protected. However, the combination of this with Search Party raised fears of a mass-surveillance network using neighborhood cameras to track people.
Program details
Community Requests program launched in September 2025
The partnership with Flock was part of Ring's Community Requests program, launched in September 2025. The program allows local law enforcement agencies to integrate by partnering with a third-party evidence management system like Flock. This comes after the controversial Requests for Assistance (RFA) program was scrapped due to criticism from consumer advocacy groups over potential civil liberties violations.