Ring no longer allows unrestriced Police access

[wittaj]

Ring will no longer allow police to request doorbell camera footage from users

Amazon-owned Ring will stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users, marking an end to a feature that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates. In a blog post on Wednesday, Ring said it will sunset the “Request for Assistance” tool, which allows police...

www.yahoo.com

 

[Ssayer]

and on another note, NY will sell you the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge...

 

[wtimothyholman]

I think the reason Amazon stopped this program was because it wasn't working. Residents had to agree to allow the police access. I'll bet only a very tiny fraction of Ring users ever bothered to grant that permission.

Plus, as a cop I spoke to explained to me, there was no point. He'd just look for nearby cameras, knock on doors, and ask for video. People were happy to provide it. But even then, Ring video is absolutely worthless 99.9% of the time.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

Another likely contributor is some states require all party consent on audio recording, which may make video inadmissible as evidence. And the homeowner is committing a felony for each instance of an audio recording without consent. If a camera breaks up a recording into separate files, each file is considered a separate felony.

So rather than wading through all the laws in each and every jurisdiction, and potentially getting a homeowner in hot water, they simply revoked law enforcement access.

While I am not a lawyer, live unrecorded audio in a camera feed or doorbell camera might be treated differently. Would be no different than talking to someone on a phone or intercom. One could also argue a visitor pressing the doorbell camera button could be considered implied consent.

Florida is one of those all party consent states, so I disable audio recording on all my cameras.

 

[bp2008]

If you consider that the owner of the security camera is not part of the conversation typically, one could easily argue that zero parties gave consent to be recorded.

 

[wittaj]

Laws vary by country, state and local laws. but many will place a sign saying video and audio is being recorded so that people know the audio may be recorded as well. We haven't seen instances of someone getting cited for a Ring doorbell in the USA. The laws that call it wiretapping simply haven't caught up yet to new technology that everyone easily has access to.

In general, the legal types here and elsewhere have said if you can see and hear the same thing you could standing on your property and you have a sign posted, it is fair game. Obviously do not have a camera zoomed and focused in on a bedroom or bathroom or a camera on the 2nd floor zoomed in over a privacy fence to see your neighbor sunbathing in the nude or a parabolic microphone to pick up the private conversations.

But with so many having wide angle cameras, you would see more standing on your porch looking in your neighbors window across the street than with that wide angle cam LOL.

Research the internet or talk to an attorney. These links may help:

Legality of Security Camera Usage & Placement in 2024

There are two types of laws that greatly influence the legality of security cameras: Expectation of privacy laws for video recordings and one- or two-party

www.security.org

Video Surveillance System Buying Guide

Video surveillance systems can protect your business. Learn tips for choosing the best video surveillance system and features for your security needs.

www.businessnewsdaily.com

Audio Surveillance Laws by State:Everything You Need to Know

When considering audio surveillance laws by state, most states have specific laws that govern the use of electronic recording of conversations of any kind.

www.upcounsel.com