- Comments from Ring’s founder have appeared in a leaked email
- They suggest Ring wants its cameras to “reset crime”
- Ring has hit back at claims that this could lead to mass surveillance
A commercial showing Ring’s new ‘Search Party’ feature hit the headlines after the Super Bowl earlier this month, raising privacy concerns about how it could potentially be used for mass surveillance. Now a leaked email from Ring’s founder has added further fuel to the fire – but Ring has hit back at claims it reveals plans for mass surveillance.
The Search Party feature in Ring cameras is currently used to locate lost dogs, and it does this by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to scan through other Ring users’ footage to recognize wayward dogs. But according to a leaked email seen by 404 Media, that’s just the beginning of Ring’s plans.
In the message sent to staff in October 2025, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff said: “I think the foundation we created with Search Party, first to find dogs, will end up being one of the most important pieces of technology and innovation to really unlock the impact of our mission. You can now see a future where we are able to zero out neighborhood crime.”
The claim by critics and privacy advocates is that by saying Search Party is designed “first to find dogs” the implication is that it can later be expanded to look for people. After all, dogs don’t commit crimes (unless you count soiling your neighbor’s yard), so the idea that Ring cameras will be used to “zero out crime” seems to suggest that it could be used to find people instead.
However, Ring has denied these claims in a response shared with 404 Media and TechRadar.
What did Ring say?
Ring has been quite bullish in its response to the leaked email. A spokesman said that rather than revealing any specific plans, Jamie Siminoff’s comments were “intended to speak broadly about the long-term potential of customer-controlled features and technologies working together to support safer communities”.
“No single feature is designed to ‘reset crime’, and tools like Search Party for Dogs are purpose-built for specific use cases – like helping to reunite lost pets – with privacy and user choice at the heart,” the spokesperson added.
The leaked email was apparently not private either. “Jamie writes these emails knowing they may be shared externally, this is not the first (or last) time his notes have been shared,” the spokesman said.
While its Search Party feature is enabled by default, Ring also says it’s possible to turn it off. “Ring provides relevant context about when sharing might be useful – but the decision remains firmly in the customer’s hands, not ours,” said Ring’s spokesperson.
Finally, Ring was keen to stress that features like Search Party are not designed to be extended to identify other subjects. “Search Party for Dogs helps camera owners identify potential lost dogs using detection technology built specifically for that purpose; it does not process human biometrics or track people. Fire Watch alerts owners to nearby fire activity. Community Requests notifies neighbors when local public safety agencies ask the community for help,” the spokesperson added.
Analysis: Far from the end of the controversy
On the face of it, cutting crime is something most people would be in favor of. No one likes to have their packages stolen from their front porch, for example, and the idea of using home surveillance cameras and video doorbells to catch the perpetrators—and those responsible for more serious crimes—might sound worthwhile.
However, despite Ring’s protests, this controversy has arisen because of the way Ring’s Search Party feature works, as well as its future implications. Search Party is enabled on Ring cameras by default, and it uses AI to scan footage from other Ring cameras in the company’s network, turning it into a kind of automated surveillance system.
With law and order in the US becoming highly politicized – and with agencies like ICE drawing heavy criticism for their actions – many critics worry that law enforcement could misuse a network like Rings to monitor the public at large.
With revelations about the size of the US government’s mass surveillance programs making the news in recent years, it might not be too far-fetched an idea. It was these concerns that no doubt forced Ring to cut its ties with surveillance technology company Flock Safety.
It will be interesting to see if Ring continues to change his stance in light of the public backlash. Ring says facial recognition data is kept private and secure, but a number of customers have returned their cameras.
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