Amazon is coaching police on how to convince Ring users to provide security cam footage sans warrant

Amazon has been providing police advice on how to convince its Ring customers to hand over security camera footage without a warrant says a new report.

Documents obtained by Vice show that Amazon has provided templates to police for requesting footage and have also offered tips to police officers like posting regularly on Ring’s neighborhood watch app — a free platform that connects Ring customers with each other and law enforcement. 

In many cases, Ring representatives have been documented coaching police departments with positive reinforcements like ‘Keep up the great job commenting and posting!’ or ‘you are doing a great job interacting with them and that will be critical in increasing the opt-in rate,’ according to Vice. 

Amazon representatives have been coaching law enforcement agencies on how to convince residents to hand over security footage without a warrant says a new report

While the process of requesting footage from Ring customers does not require a warrant, it does necessitate authorization from the Ring camera owner, meaning that in order to effectively leverage the device for police work, departments require local cooperation.

Vice says that Amazon has also enlisted police to help drive the adoption of the Ring ‘Neighbors’ which they say will help police notify and enlist residents in watching neighborhoods.

‘Grow your audience to create a bigger impact when posting Portal Alerts,’ said a Ring representative according to documents obtained by Vice. 

‘Social Media is the most effective way to drive Neighbors App downloads.’   

The intimate collaboration between Amazon and police adds another layer of detail to a growing alliance between the company and law enforcement on a broader scale — a partnership that has worried some civil rights advocates.

Among the major opponents has been the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who has protested Ring’s consideration of equipping security cameras with facial recognition software.

‘Amazon is building the tools for authoritarian surveillance that advocates, activists, community leaders, politicians, and experts have repeatedly warned against,’ said the organization last year.

‘It is doing so without regard for how the technology will be exploited by law enforcement, ICE, and other government agencies prone to violence and racial discrimination.’

Ring has gained popularity among users looking for an inexpensive and affordable way to surveil their homes

Last month, Vice also revealed that hundreds of police departments across the U.S. have partnered with Amazon to use Ring devices as local surveillance networks.

According to the report  and documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, there are at least 200 known partnerships between Amazon’s security company Ring and local law enforcement agencies. 

The number — taken from notes made in an email that were transcribed from a Ring representative — is the first hard piece of data on how many departments are working with the company.

Previous attempts to quantify the extent of the collaboration have estimated around three dozen direct partnerships — a number that is clearly well below actual figures. 

Partnerships between the agencies and Amazon usually involve the company donating its compact security cameras — which are often fixed to a person’s door — and then equipping them with a ‘neighborhood portal.’ 

WHAT IS RING AND WHY DID AMAZON BUY IT?

Amazon acquired home security startup Ring for a reported £700 million ($1 billion).

The home security startup sells doorbells that capture video and audio.

Clips can be streamed on smartphones and other devices, while the doorbell even allows homeowners to remotely chat to those standing at their door.

Ring sells doorbells (left) that capture video and audio. Clips can be streamed on smartphones and other devices, while the doorbell even allows homeowners to remotely chat to those standing at their door

Ring promotes its gadgets as a way to catch package thieves, a nuisance that Amazon has been looking to remedy. 

Amazon late last year unveiled its own smart lock and camera combination called Amazon Key in a move into home security.

Key is designed to provide a secure and trackable way for packages to be delivered inside homes when people aren’t there.

Amazon has bought home security startup Ring for a reported £700 million ($1 billion)

Ring’s doorbell could work well with Amazon Key, which lets delivery personnel put packages inside a home to avoid theft or, in the case of fresh food, spoiling.

California-based Ring first caught the spotlight with a failed quest for funding about five years ago on reality television show Shark Tank.

Ring went on to win backing from the likes of billionaire Richard Branson and Amazon’s Alexa Fund.