Here’s What You Should Know about Ring Cameras’ Security and Privacy Issues

Before you buy a Ring camera, read up on why media outlets and civil rights groups criticize the Ring brand

By Mindy Woodall

Nov 30, 2022

2 min read

Amazon-owned Ring is one of the most popular smart home brands out there, and a lot of people use Ring video doorbells, security cameras, home security systems, and smart lights to protect their property.

But Ring cameras specifically have a bad track record of security vulnerabilities and privacy concerns that can potentially cause issues for both Ring device owners and the communities they live in.^1,2,3,4

Ring cameras have been involved in previous hacking incidents where outsiders were able to intercept Ring video footage and take control of Ring cameras in people’s homes.² Ring has released fixes for some of these security flaws, including two-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption.^5,6 But these fixes sometimes require you, the user, to manually enable them, which can still leave people vulnerable.

Ring also maintains questionable partnerships with hundreds of police departments across the United States.^3,4,7 Vice Media’s Motherboard has described these partnerships as “secret agreements,” and say they’ve made it easy for police to request video footage from Ring owners through the Neighbors app.⁸ Media outlets have also reported that police departments use the Ring’s Neighbors app to conduct surveillance.⁹

If you choose to use Ring cameras, we recommend that you do not use Ring’s Neighbor’s app. And if you do use the app, then we recommend that you do not respond to public requests for surveillance footage posted by law enforcement.

We also recommend that you enable all available Ring security features, including two-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption.

Alternatives to Ring security cameras:

Sources

Daniel Wroclawski, Consumer Reports, “3,000 Ring Doorbell and Camera Accounts May Be Vulnerable to Hackers,” December 2019. Accessed March 31, 2021.
Kari Paul, The Guardian, “Dozens Sue Amazon's Ring after Camera Hack Leads to Threats and Racial Slurs,” December 2020. Accessed March 31, 2021.
Fight for the Future, “Open Letter Calling on Elected Officials to Stop Amazon’s Doorbell Surveillance Partnerships with Police,” October 2019. Accessed March 31, 2021.
Rani Molla, Vox, “Activists Are Pressuring Lawmakers to Stop Amazon Ring’s Police Surveillance Partnerships,” October 2019. Accessed March 31, 2021.
Ring Support Center, “Enhancing Security with Two-Step Verification.” Accessed March 31, 2021.
Ring Support Center, “How to Set Up Video End-to-End Encryption (E2EE).” Accessed March 31, 2021.
Alfred Ng, CNET, “Ring's Police Partnerships Must End, Say More Than 30 Civil Rights Groups,” October 2019. Accessed March 31, 2021.
Caroline Haskins, VICE, “Amazon Requires Police to Shill Surveillance Cameras in Secret Agreement,” July 2019. Accessed March 31, 2021.
Rachel Cericola, Wirecutter, “Ring Neighbors Is the Best and Worst Neighborhood Watch App,” March 3, 2021. Accessed March 31, 2021.

Written by

Mindy Woodall

Mindy has been writing about technology for seven years. She covers all things smart home for Reviews.org, and keeps track of the latest robot gadgets. Mindy attended the University of Utah and her work has been featured on the likes of Parents.com, Digital Care, Hostfully, and more.