Ring will no longer share doorbell camera video with police without warrant

A practice that had been criticized by privacy advocates has come to an end.

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Ring will no longer share doorbell camera video with police departments, The Associated Press reported.

The Amazon-owned company announced Wednesday that it is ending the “Request for Assistance” feature used by police and other agencies to get video through the Ring’s Neighbors app.

No reason was given as to why the company changed its policy.

The new rules go into effect on Jan. 31, but users can still respond to requests filed before then, until Feb. 29, CNN reported.

While police will not have access to the videos, officials can still make posts in the app and use it to “share helpful safety tips, updates, and community events,” said Eric Kuhn, the head of Neighbors.

Critics of the former policy said that the relationship between the company and police, as well as people’s ability to report what they think is suspicious activity, can make neighbors feel like they are under constant surveillance and leads to more racial profiling, the AP reported.

This isn’t the first time Ring has changed its policy for police. In 2021, police requests for video were made public. Before, messages were private between officers and people who lived in the areas where active investigations were happening.

Police will still have access to videos captured by Ring, but they will need a warrant, CNN reported. Ring will still be able to share videos without the consent of the user in limited circumstances.

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