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| Ring cooperates with most of the US police departments |
According to the Financial Times report, two US states, the police and the fire department, are now involved in the Amazon ring network in addition to Montana and Wyoming.
This allows law enforcement agencies to require users to receive video clips from their private security cameras to assist with investigations.
Despite the differences, cooperation with Amazon-owned companies did not slow down in 2020, but gradually intensified.
In 2020, more than 1189 departments joined the smart home security code cooperation plan. The total reached this level in 2014, a significant increase from 703 departments in 2019 and 40 departments in 2018.
The British Financial Times reported that local law enforcement agencies have requested videos of the episode network via the platform, and a total of 22,335 incidents occurred in 2020.
Public data also showed that even after the device's owner rejected the request, law enforcement officials submitted nearly 1,900 requests (such as subpoenas, search warrants, and court orders) to obtain video or data from the camera.
Police in Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, has requested that 431 incidents be recorded in the second half of 2020 due to the high number of homicides.
Figures show Amazon meets these requirements at 57%, up from 68% in 2019.
Data protection advocates have expressed concerns about how data from the loop network is used and transmitted to law enforcement agencies.
The Neighbor app, which Ring users can use to share videos with other people nearby, has been criticized for making racist comments and reports.
NBC News found in a February report that ring devices are not very helpful in solving crimes.
Also, when useful, ring devices are primarily used for low-level nonviolent property crimes like Nintendo Switch theft.
"Pictures and videos of neighbors and passers-by can be taken with cameras without permission," the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the Financial Times. It is an undisputed huge network of surveillance.
Earlier this month, Ring began adding end-to-end encryption support to its cameras.