- Amazon-owned Ring faces possible class-action lawsuit, with more than $5 million in damages sought
- Familiar Faces does not work in some states due to privacy concerns
- A ‘profound privacy failure’ affects millions of Americans
Doorbell giant Ring, an Amazon company, now faces a class-action lawsuit in the United States over its “Familiar Faces” feature, which uses AI to identify and tag people who arrive at the door.
The complaint, filed by a Virginia resident, accuses the company of collecting and storing biometric information about him without his consent when he visited the homes of friends and relatives.
According to the complaint, the technology collects and stores facial biometric data of anyone appearing in the camera’s field of view, whether they are visiting the home or not.
Ring accused of collecting and storing facial biometric data
Charles Sigwalt, the Virginia resident who initiated the class-action lawsuit, noted that Ring’s system creates and stores what are called facial prints of anyone within range of a supported camera.
The suit seeks at least $5 million in damages, but that figure could rise if a broader class of affected people are approved.
It should be noted that Familiar Faces is only approved for use in certain states: Illinois, Texas, and Portland, Oregon are protected by stricter biometric privacy regulations.
This isn’t the first time the Amazon-owned company has faced heat: In 2023, it paid a $5.8 million settlement to the FTC over allegations related to employee access to customer videos.
The company has also faced recent backlash over a service announced during the Super Bowl that used its network of cameras to help locate lost dogs – critics warned against neighborhood watch.
In the complaint, the plaintiff concludes that Ring created a “profound breach of privacy for millions of people who are now tracked by Amazon.”
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