Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Ring is pushing back after a leaked email suggested its camera network could help “zero out crime in neighborhoods.”
- The company says the remarks were broader about the future of the technology, and that does not mean it plans to expand into tracking people.
- It went on to insist Search Party is limited to lost pets and does not use human biometrics.
Smart home manufacturer Ring seems to be in firefighting mode today. The company came under scrutiny earlier after a leaked Ring internal email suggested its camera network could one day help “zero out crime in neighborhoods.” In an attempt to quell any concerns that might have been raised, the company is now pushing back, saying the remarks should not be misinterpreted.
A Ring statement provided to Tech Radar said that founder Jamie Siminoff’s comments were intended to describe the broad, long-term potential of “customer-controlled features and technologies working together to support safer communities,” rather than outlining any specific expansion into tracking people. The company added that no single feature, such as Search Party, is designed to “zero out crime.”
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The controversy stems from an October 2025 email in which Siminoff linked Ring’s Search Party feature to that crime-reduction ambition. Search Party launched as a tool to help find lost dogs by using AI to scan participating users’ footage for matching pets. The fear is that if the system can identify animals, it could theoretically be adapted to track people.
Ring says that’s not the case. In its response, the company stressed that Search Party for Dogs does not process human biometrics or track individuals. While the feature is enabled by default, users can opt out, and any decision to share footage remains with the camera owner.
Ring’s ecosystem already includes tools like Community Requests, which allow law enforcement agencies to request relevant footage from residents. Against that backdrop, language about eliminating crime was always likely to raise alarm bells.
Whether Ring’s response reassures anyone with privacy concerns remains to be seen. The company was likely to respond to the leaked email and issue a statement along these lines. In truth, Ring almost certainly doesn’t have any plans to enact mass surveillance in neighbourhoods any time soon. But if it did have such ideas, it’s unlikely to announce them publicly.
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