Ring Scraps Flock Safety Deal Following Super Bowl Ad Backlash
▼ Summary
– The Iranian regime has cut off internet access during protests, using its national intranet as a tool for pervasive surveillance.
– AI-powered systems, combined with satellite imagery, are being considered as a potential replacement for in-person nuclear treaty inspections.
– Cryptocurrency transactions linked to human trafficking and forced scamming have nearly doubled, reaching hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
– U.S. immigration enforcement in Minnesota has overwhelmed courts, and Border Patrol has gained access to Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology.
– Ring canceled a partnership with Flock Safety amid privacy concerns and has faced criticism for past police surveillance tools.
The recent decision by Ring to abandon its planned integration with Flock Safety highlights the ongoing public tension surrounding mass surveillance and privacy. This move follows significant backlash, including reactions to a Super Bowl advertisement, and reflects a broader societal pushback against pervasive monitoring technologies. The company stated the integration required more resources than expected and emphasized that no customer video was ever shared.
Owned by Amazon, Ring has faced years of criticism for its law enforcement partnerships. A notable point of contention was a tool in its Neighbors app that allowed police to request footage directly from users without a warrant, a feature the company discontinued earlier this year. The proposed link with Flock Safety, a firm that builds automated license plate reader networks for police, would have further expanded this surveillance web. Reports indicate that agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have secretly accessed Flock’s data, using it for immigration enforcement operations.
Public skepticism was amplified by Ring’s recent Super Bowl ad showcasing a feature called Search Party, which uses AI to locate lost pets. Many observers quickly questioned whether such technology could, or would, be repurposed to track people. This environment of distrust is part of a larger moment where facial recognition and other monitoring tools are under intense scrutiny. Democratic lawmakers have called for ICE to halt its use of street-level facial recognition, and even the agency has expressed concerns about the technology being used against its own personnel.
Despite this climate, the drive to implement these technologies continues. In a related development, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has entered into a contract with Clearview AI, granting border patrol units access to its controversial facial recognition system. Meanwhile, an internal memo from Meta suggests the company is considering adding a new facial recognition feature, internally dubbed “Name Tag,” to its smart glasses, citing the current “dynamic political environment.”
These events occur against a backdrop of global security challenges. In Iran, regime efforts to quell protests have involved not only cutting access to the global internet but also shutting down the national intranet, which research reveals is evolving into a tool for constant surveillance. In the realm of nuclear arms control, with key treaties expiring, some researchers propose using artificial intelligence combined with satellite imagery to monitor facilities, though the plan is not without its significant flaws.
Further illustrating the dark side of emerging technologies, cryptocurrency analysis firm Chainalysis reported a near doubling of blockchain transactions linked to human trafficking and forced scamming operations over the past year, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Domestically, the U.S. immigration system shows strain, with a surge in court filings for release from ICE custody overwhelming attorneys and leading to prolonged detentions, even as official enforcement surges are reportedly winding down.
(Source: Wired)
