Amazon (AMZN) is reportedly adding the facial recognition technology to its Ring doorbell cameras, as per the letter sent to a U.S. senator defending its video sharing partnerships with police.
The online retailer company told the Sen. Ed Markey that the facial recognition is a “contemplated, but unreleased feature” of its “home security cameras” but they have no such plans to coordinate that the feature with its law enforcement partnerships.
Markey wrote to CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos in September raising the privacy and civil liberty concerns about the Ring’s video-sharing agreements with the police departments across country. Amazon encourages the police to tap into “Ring’s Neighbors app”, which is a forum for residents, particularly to share the videos of suspicious activity, captured by their home security cameras.
Ring technology may be pursuing face-scanning technology, about it, Massachusetts Democrat also expressed alarm, after a patent application showed that the company is discovering a system, which could flag certain people as suspicious, and also automatically alert police.
On Tuesday, Markey said that Amazon (AMZN) is not doing enough to ensure that its products don’t run afoul of civil liberties.
“Connected doorbells are well on their way to becoming a mainstay of American households, and the lack of privacy and civil rights protections for innocent residents is nothing short of chilling,” he said in a statement.
“If you’re an adult walking your dog or a child playing on the sidewalk, you shouldn’t have to worry that Ring’s products are amassing footage of you and that law enforcement may hold that footage indefinitely or share that footage with any third parties,” he added.
