Critics say giving police access to Ring cameras is invasion of privacy

Local police are partnering with Ring doorbell to get access to residents' doorbell cameras, but some say it is an invasion of privacy.

News 12 Staff

Nov 5, 2019, 1:17 AM

Updated 1,866 days ago

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Local police are partnering with Ring doorbell to get access to residents' doorbell cameras, but some say it is an invasion of privacy.
Earlier this year, Ring initiated a nationwide partnership with police, allowing investigators to ask for doorbell footage on the Neighbors app to help solve crimes.
Hundreds of departments have jumped on board, including Mount Vernon and Clarkstown.
Critics have suggested this is an infringement on people's privacy, but according to Ring, police must request access to footage. They do not have unlimited access and people's names remain anonymous. Everyone is listed as Neighbor followed by a random number. Addresses are not posted, just the general area in which one lives.
The founder of Ring released a statement saying, "You have 100% control — if you choose not to share, or you opt out of future requests, your local law enforcement will never know as you'll remain totally anonymous."
Police say Ring cameras are just another tool to help investigate crimes that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to solve.