Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2026
Flock Safety partnership backlash
A proposed relationship with Flock Safety drew criticism because Flock operates automated license-plate-recognition systems and critics feared that combining the two networks would expand warrantless or weakly governed surveillance. Ring subsequently announced that it would withdraw from the partnership.
2025
Search Party surveillance debate
Ring's AI-assisted Search Party feature, initially promoted for locating lost pets, triggered criticism that a distributed camera network could normalize wider forms of automated object or person detection.
2023
FTC privacy and security enforcement action
The FTC alleged that Ring employees and contractors had excessive access to customer videos and that inadequate security protections enabled hackers to access accounts, cameras, and recordings. Ring agreed to pay $5.8 million and implement privacy and security measures.
2021
Ring’s video-sharing practices draw privacy concerns
Issue disclosure
Ring’s public-policy vice president told Senator Edward J. Markey that the company places few restrictions on how police may use and share doorbell-video footage. He also said homeowners are not required to share footage with authorities and that Ring does not identify users who refuse police requests. Markey expressed concern about privacy and civil-rights protections.
Company response
Clarification — Ring
He said that the company does not place many restrictions on the ways in which police can use and share the videos, although he did clarify that a homeowner is not required to share the footage with the authorities and Ring does not identify any users who refuse police requests for videos.
Source excerpt
Sen. Markey expressed his concerns in a statement, saying: “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 that the company does not place many restrictions on the ways in which police can use and share the videos, although he did clarify that a homeowner is not required to share the footage with the authorities and Ring does not identify any users who refuse police requests for videos.
The video doorbell company Ring is taking some heat after it revealed that authorities can keep homeowners’ videos forever and share them with any party they choose.
2021
ADT sues Amazon over alleged Ring trademark infringement
Lawsuit filed
In 2021, ADT filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that Amazon's subsidiary Ring infringed ADT's blue octagon trademark. The source reports this as an allegation made by ADT in its lawsuit; it does not state that infringement has been established or decided. The dispute concerns the use of the blue octagon mark. No further details on the claims, the parties' responses, or the outcome are provided in the source.
ADT is suing Amazon, alleging that its subsidiary Ring infringed ADT's blue octagon trademark. The source describes this as a claim, not a determination of infringement.
Source excerpt
ADT is suing Amazon over claims that its subsidiary, Ring, infringed its “iconic blue octagon” trademark.
2021
ADT sues Ring over blue octagon design
Lawsuit filed
ADT sued Ring, claiming Ring's blue octagonal designs copied ADT's symbol and risked confusing customers; ADT asked a federal judge to bar Ring from using the allegedly similar symbols and sought compensation.
Source excerpt
Accordingly, ADT alleged that it was “surprised” to discover that in March 2021 “Ring had adopted a blue octagon mark (‘the Infringing Mark’) that is virtually indistinguishable from ADT’s Famous Blue Octagon for use in connection with Ring’s own security offerings.”
According to reports, ADT has requested a federal judge in Florida to immediately stop Ring from using its logo and also pay an undisclosed amount as compensation.
On Tuesday, ADT LLC and The ADT Security Corporation (together, ADT) filed a complaint in the Southern District of Florida alleging that Ring has infringed ADT’s iconic trademark – its “Famous Blue Octagon” – in the second legal challenge in which the companies have engaged.
2020
Third-party tracking concerns in the Ring app
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported that the Ring Android application transmitted identifiable information and device-related data to several third-party analytics and marketing services.
2020
Ring announces security and privacy changes after backlash
Company response
Ring announced changes to its security and privacy practices following criticism from civil-liberties and cybersecurity organizations regarding user-data protections. The company introduced mandatory two-factor authentication and a temporary pause on most third-party trackers. Ring also stated that it was working on further limits to information sharing. The announcement addressed concerns raised by the organizations about how user data was protected.
After criticism from civil-liberties and cybersecurity organizations over user-data protections, Ring announced mandatory two-factor authentication and a temporary pause on most third-party trackers, and said it was working on further limits to information sharing.
Company response
Remediation — Ring
Ring’s announcement declared that the company is making two-factor authentication mandatory for users
Remediation — Ring
the company also has announced that they are temporarily pausing the use of most third-party trackers and are working on a way to allow users to further limit information sharing
Source excerpt
Amazon’s surveillance doorbell company Ring has announced extra layers of security and control for users after a wave of backlash from civil liberties and cyber security organizations like EFF and Mozilla.
Organizations raised major concerns over Ring’s lack of effort in protecting the data and security of users, including permitting multiple log-in attempts that allowed bad actors to take control of people’s Ring cameras; not requiring two-factor authentication; and allowing a number of undisclosed third-party trackers to harvest data from the Ring app.
Ring’s announcement declared that the company is making two-factor authentication mandatory for users—meaning that when a person logs in to their Ring account, they will have to enter a code emailed or texted to them to verify that they are the person attempting to log in.
2020
EFF reports Ring app data sharing with third parties
Issue disclosure
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported that its investigation of Ring's Android app found personally identifiable customer information being sent to third-party analytics and marketing companies. Ring said it uses third-party service providers to evaluate app use and stated that it limited the amount of data shared.
Company response
Clarification — Ring
In a statement to Gizmodo, the Amazon-owned home security and the smart home company said it limited the amount of data it shared.
Source excerpt
In a statement to Gizmodo, the Amazon-owned home security and the smart home company said it limited the amount of data it shared.
An investigation of the Ring doorbell app for Android discovered that four main analytics and marketing companies - including Facebook and Google -- were receiving information such as the names, private IP addresses, mobile network carriers, persistent identifiers, and sensor data on the devices of paying customers.
The EEF said that Ring has exhibited a pattern of behaviour that attempts to mitigate exposure to criticism and scrutiny while benefiting from the wide array of customer data available to them.
2020
Amazon Sidewalk draws privacy backlash
Public backlash
Amazon customers were automatically opted in to Sidewalk, a feature planned for launch later in the year that would share a portion of users' internet bandwidth with nearby devices. Commentators and users raised concerns about privacy and the default opt-in approach.
Stated objective. Connect Alexa devices to nearby WiFi networks and help devices work better.
Source excerpt
Ian Thornton-Trump, the chief information security officer at Cyjax, told Forbes the launch was "deeply problematic from a privacy perspective."
Some were still skeptical of whether such a network would keep user data private.
Amazon customers are being automatically opted in to Sidewalk, a feature set to launch later this year that the company says will connect Alexa devices to nearby WiFi networks, even those owned by someone else.
2019
Law-enforcement access and private surveillance criticism
Civil-liberties groups and lawmakers criticized Ring's Neighbors partnerships with police departments, arguing that the system could create a distributed surveillance network outside traditional public-sector oversight.
2019
Alabama man sues Ring and Amazon over camera security
Lawsuit filed
An Alabama father filed a lawsuit against Ring and its owner Amazon, alleging lax security standards and claiming that his Ring camera was hacked. The lawsuit alleges Ring failed to provide sufficiently robust security measures, including two-factor authentication. Ring said it would not comment on ongoing legal matters.
Source excerpt
The father of three claims the Ring camera above his garage was hacked, allowing a stranger to talk to his kids "encouraging them to get closer to the camera" as they played basketball in the driveway.
Ring has insisted the problem is with weak or compromised passwords, but the lawsuit alleges "it is Ring who failed to provide sufficiently robust security measures such as two-factor authentication."
Now an Alabama father has filed a lawsuit accusing Ring and its owner Amazon of "lax security standards"
2019
Civil rights groups call for an end to Ring’s police partnerships
Public backlash
More than 30 civil rights organizations called on lawmakers to end Ring’s partnerships with local police, citing privacy concerns. Ring said it designed the features to keep users in control and viewed open communication as important to building safer communities.
Company response
Clarification — Ring
Ring has taken care to design these features in a way that keeps users in control and believes open communication is an important step in building safer, stronger communities.
Source excerpt
Ring has taken care to design these features in a way that keeps users in control and believes open communication is an important step in building safer, stronger communities.
But the police partnerships have prompted privacy concerns with more than 30 civil rights organizations, which are asking lawmakers to end the partnerships with local police.
2017
ADT litigation over Ring Alarm
ADT sued Ring in a dispute involving alleged trade-secret misappropriation connected with Ring Alarm. A judge temporarily blocked sales of the alarm product, and the dispute later ended in a settlement whose amount was not confirmed in the cited material.