Just canceled my Ring Doorbell plan.

[Cattledog]

ICE has access to your Ring camera through Flock.

Federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), already access Flock-connected surveillance systems through local and state law-enforcement partners.
Investigative reporting has documented that ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Secret Service have used Flock infrastructure without needing direct contracts with the company, instead relying on inter-agency data sharing agreements, as detailed by TechCrunch and San News.

https://medium.com/@hrnews1/ring-cameras-join-flock-and-amazon-to-now-create-direct-data-access-for-ice-fbe71996557f

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ring-doorbell-footage-going-straight-171713167.html

[SheltieLover]

1. Good for you!

I was going to buy one some time ago, but didn't.

[Renew Deal]

2. I remember hearing something about this

And there was a way to disable or opt-out of law enforcement access>

Here it is. Video is not supposed to be automatically shared: https://www.pcworld.com/article/2945470/ring-lets-police-ask-for-security-videos-heres-how-to-opt-out.html

[RockRaven]

4. And yet that opt out would not guarantee that law enforcement would not have access.

That company has shown itself to be untrustworthy. There are plenty of news stories about Flock access policies not being followed in various ways in communities around the country. There is no reason for anyone to trust either the company or the government in this regard.

[Nittersing]

3. Thanks. Just posted to my local Nextdoor. nt

[mwmisses4289]

5. Glad we never got a ring system. Or nest.

[indusurb]

6. Fairly easy to install your own camera/security system that isn't open to law enforcement

A few hundred bucks, a little know how, and make sure you hard wire everything since thieves are increasingly using wifi jammers. Or get yourself a big dog, or dog with a big bark, this will actively discourage the vast majority of thieves. Plant boxwood or other such thick shrubbery at the base of your windows, makes them very difficult, if not impossible to be accessed. Get away from the security industrial complex that feeds on fear and spies on all of us all for massive profit.

[ms liberty]

8. This. We have cameras on a closed circuit sytem. Also, a GSD/Begian Mal, a rat terrier/Jack Russell mix and a toy poodle

The little ones are the alarms. My big girl is the muscle and most importantly the bad temper; the back up plans are in the safe. Long ago I read a study of interviews with felons who admitted that they would avoid breaking into houses with dogs, because of the noise. Easier to move on to a quieter target.


After read I no about their policies with LEO, I never want a Ring, or any of those devices. I really don't want an Alexa or one of those things. I like to keep things in-house, so to speak.

[AllaN01Bear]

16. esp the littlle dogs.

[ms liberty]

17. Yea, they all think they're direwolves

[AllaN01Bear]

24. indeed

[get the red out]

21. I would never want Alexia!

I guess having Simply Safe is probably risky, but I live alone with a mini-Aussie, a 15 year old Border Collie Mix, and a cat. All are worthless for protection (but the old girl woud try!).

[ancianita]

7. GOOD. RING is nothing but a surveillance mechanism for you as much as for outsiders.

[GoodRaisin]

9. I never got one. Don't need it because I don't answer the door.

Works great for not having to talk to pests.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. Same for me and my husband, my dear GoodRaisin!

We have an intercom, and we use it all the time.

[mitch96]

10. If you opt out with ring or Flock can't they just get a warrant? DIY seems like the way to go nt

[Fil1957]

12. Everyone with Ring Doorbell should do what you did due to sharing with ICE. If that were to happen Ring would have to

stop sharing or go out of business.

Like what happened with Disney and Kimmel.

[BlueKentuckyGirl]

13. Keep waiting for Vivent to do the same thing.

And when they do, I will also cancel my plan.

[pecosbob]

14. Even if you opt out, Flock data is already being abused by rogue LEOs and anyone with enough moxie to hack in.

Been more than a few cases already reported.

[txwhitedove]

15. I received Ring for door and garage from

kids. Never signed up with them for monthly. Can they still access my system?

[LittleGirl]

18. Only if you don't set up an account with Ring.

We set up a closed internet connection to our camera that is encrypted. We set up our own camera and use a separate system than ring.

[Chicagogrl1]

19. What is recommended then?

[get the red out]

20. I changed mine a while back

I just started hearing about these "flock" cameras. It worries me.

[aggiesal]

22. I was excited to purchase a NEST thermostat. When I found out that NEST is owned by Google, I said forget it ...

Bought a Honeywell unit instead.
When I connected the Honeywell unit, I found out that our local Gas & Electric company can manipulate my unit at will.
I did some research and figured out how to configure that feature from being accessible.

Remember, everything you use in your home that is digital and connectable to a WiFi or network in general, others will have access to that connected equipment's data.
Pay with a debit or credit card, that now becomes a data point worth retrieving.

Don't get me started on our cell phones.

We now live in a digital age, where we leave digital thumbprints everywhere we go and everything we do.

[QueerDuck]

23. We have a Ring doorbell, and a dozen Ring cameras, and Ring home security system as well.

We have no plans to cancel it. It suits our needs just fine and at a good price.

[Initech]

25. My Ring doorbell footage was actually used in a murder investigation.

True story - my neighbor down the street was found dead in her pool. And the police came and immediately suspected that foul play might have been involved, because it happened very late at night. So the cops went door to door asking if anyone had any cameras that might have recorded anything happening on the street late at night.

Sure enough ours caught something - a truck driving down the street at 3:00 AM. The cops took the footage and analyzed it, but it turned out inconclusive. And later it turned out after autopsy that my neighbor got hit in the back of the head and that's what did it. But you can never be too careful.

[Pachamama]

26. What about Blink? Are they accessing that?

It makes me sick to think they are being given access to us all and our cameras.

Time to cancel

[catchnrelease]

27. Watch out for cities using this now

The city of Lakewood in SoCal has a contract with Flock to monitor license plates. People are going to city council meetings now to try and get that cancelled. The Lakewood Indivisible group is especially pushing to get it stopped and to alert residents of Lakewood to it's use. The one short video I watched had a councilman defending Flock, saying oh there's nothing identifying in the project, no personal info etc. What? If it's recording a plate it leads directly to the owner of the car via the DMV. If it doesn't have info on the owner, what would be the point of the whole thing?

So, this thing may already be more ubiquitous than we know.

[oldmanlynn]

28. My understanding is that they cannot share your video foot

They cannot share your video footage unless you opt in and give them permission to share your video footage so it’s not like it’s a free-for-all and everybody that has a ring camera system automatically has their video going straight to ice and law-enforcement

[SamuelTheThird]

30. You're very trusting

[FHRRK]

32. You actually have to opt out

Simple to do via settings. I have seen claims that they have to notify you prior, but to be safe I went to Community settings and toggled it off.

Will they have the data still, yes.

[milestogo]

29. My ring camera battery is frozen right now.

[eppur_se_muova]

31. Why does **EVERYTHING** have to be connected to the Internet ?? Most of the time, it's not needed.

It's mostly laziness on the part of companies who just want to sell turnkey systems with no big effort on their part -- just follow the monkey-see-monkey-do instructions from the mfgr. The turnkey systems are provided by corps who recognize all the data those systems collect is commodifiable, and jump at the chance to sell it.

Of course, it's true you can't unlock your front door while sitting in your favorite restaurant (something prominently featured in ads) without Internet, but then, neither can anyone else unlock your door.

[progressoid]

33. Also, fuck Flock.