Virginia Resident Sues Amazon Over Ring Doorbell's Facial Recognition Practices
Amazon’s Ring Doorbell Stored Strangers’ Faces, New Lawsuit Claims
Image: Dailycaller
A Virginia resident has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, claiming that its Ring doorbell cameras unlawfully stored images of passersby using facial recognition software without consent. The lawsuit seeks class-action status and over $5 million in damages, highlighting significant privacy concerns for millions of individuals.
- 01Charles Sigwalt alleges that Ring's 'Familiar Faces' feature collects and stores facial images of individuals without their consent.
- 02The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages and claims that millions of Americans have unknowingly had their facial data collected.
- 03The 'Familiar Faces' feature, which is optional and deactivated by default, allows users to identify up to 50 people by name.
- 04Amazon has faced scrutiny over privacy issues, including a $5.8 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission regarding past privacy violations.
- 05Ring's data is encrypted and stored in the cloud, not on the device itself, according to the company's claims.
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A lawsuit filed by Charles Sigwalt, a Virginia resident, accuses Amazon of violating privacy rights through its Ring doorbell cameras, specifically targeting the 'Familiar Faces' feature that allegedly stores images of individuals without their consent. Sigwalt is pursuing class-action status and claims damages exceeding $5 million. The lawsuit emphasizes that many Americans unknowingly had their facial recognition data collected as they passed by Ring cameras. The 'Familiar Faces' feature, designed to identify and alert users about specific individuals, is optional and turned off by default. Amazon has not commented on the lawsuit. The company has previously faced privacy scrutiny, including a $5.8 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations that a former employee misused customer video data. Ring also ended a controversial partnership with Flock Safety amid criticism regarding its use of license plate readers for law enforcement. This lawsuit raises significant concerns about privacy and surveillance practices associated with smart home devices.
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The lawsuit raises concerns about privacy rights and the potential for unauthorized surveillance, affecting individuals who may unknowingly be monitored.
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