Leaked founder email says the quiet part out loud — Ring was built to spy on your neighborhood



Ring unveiled its controversial AI-powered Search Party feature in a multimillion-dollar ad that aired during the Super Bowl, sparking blowback from privacy advocates from left to right and dead center. Although the feature was positioned as a helpful way to track down lost pets and bring them home safely, a leaked email from Ring’s founder reveals a much more sinister purpose: Ring intended to spy on people all along.

Ring’s founder revealed the truth about Search Party

From the moment we heard about Search Party, one thing was clear — tracking down lost pets was only the tip of the iceberg. The obvious next step was clearly human surveillance. After all, Ring can already scan and identify designated humans with a feature called Familiar Faces. Once enabled, users can add the faces of friends and family to their Ring app so that their Ring camera can recognize these individuals when they stop by.

Ring can tap into the live feeds of every Ring camera in a town block and analyze the footage with AI.

Helpful? Maybe. Creepy? When you consider the way Ring wants to secretly turn Search Party into a mass surveillance tool, most definitely.

We know this for a fact now, thanks to a leaked email written by Ring’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, himself. "I believe that the foundation we created with Search Party, first for finding dogs, will end up becoming one of the most important pieces of tech and innovation to truly unlock the impact of our mission," he begins, pivoting immediately to a grander picture. "You can now see a future where we are able to zero out crime in neighborhoods. So many things to do to get there, but for the first time ever, we have the chance to fully complete what we started.”

Of course, Siminoff hides “the impact" of Ring’s "mission” under the guise of preventing crime in neighborhoods equipped with Ring cameras. Reading between the lines, though, the truth looks more like Ring actively moving toward creating a mass surveillance state with its network.

For what it’s worth, Siminoff denies that Ring will tap into users’ feeds without their consent, assuring, “Across these features, sharing has always been the camera owner’s choice. Ring provides relevant context about when sharing may be helpful — but the decision remains firmly in the customer’s hands, not ours.”

The Nancy Guthrie factor

This story is especially unique in the context of the Nancy Guthrie case, where the FBI obtained footage from a Google Nest doorbell camera that was believed to be inaccessible. While social media was quick to pounce on how this could’ve happened, we later discovered that the loophole responsible for saving the footage is covered in Nest’s terms of service.

That didn’t stop Ring’s founder from commenting, though. Amid the hype over the case, Siminoff spoke with Fox Business to denounce that Ring would ever hold footage that was believed to be deleted or inaccessible. "I do know with Ring, specifically, if you delete a recording or if you don't want a recording, you don't have a subscription," he said. "We do not have it stored. I know that because I built the systems with my team.”

RELATED: Amazon's Ring is running a spy ring from your home. Here's how to turn it off.

But just because Ring doesn’t keep video files doesn't mean the footage goes to waste. With Search Party, Ring can tap into the live feeds of every Ring camera in a town block and analyze the footage with AI, essentially scanning them for whatever Ring is looking for. Right now, that’s lost pets. In a year or so, that could be real people — first criminals, then private citizens in general.

So the fact that Ring doesn’t save footage like Nest isn’t really any consolation when the company simply leverages live feeds to achieve its goals instead.

The only ways to opt out of Search Party

This Search Party revelation comes shortly after Ring canceled its partnership with Flock, a third-party service that would’ve allowed police officers to request user footage to help solve criminal cases. Without a law enforcement connection, Search Party is virtually useless in stopping crimes. That only leaves mass surveillance, which again, Siminoff refutes.

Wherever the truth lies, the leaked email is further proof that you should either disable Search Party or remove your Ring camera from your front door entirely. Unfortunately, as we mentioned last time, your camera is only part of the problem. As long as your neighbors keep their Ring cameras up and running, Amazon can still spy on your block whenever it pleases.

Amazon's Ring is running a spy ring from your home. Here's how to turn it off.



If there were one thing that stood out about the Super Bowl commercials this year — aside from companies desperately appealing to Millennials with '90s-themed nostalgia — it was the prevalence of artificial intelligence. Chief among them, Amazon showed off a new AI feature that taps into its broad Ring camera network to create a mass surveillance dragnet so effective that "Minority Report" would blush. Even worse, the feature is enabled by default, which means your Ring camera could be scanning your street right now.

Your neighborhood is under AI surveillance

We live in odd times when Amazon would willingly spend millions of dollars on a Super Bowl ad, just to tell the world a secret that most companies would keep to themselves — that their Ring cameras are now essentially AI-powered mass surveillance tools.

Your cameras have been automatically opted in, and they are actively scanning your street.

The feature is called Search Party. In the 30-second ad, a little girl is given a puppy. After falling in love with him, the dog goes missing, only to be found after Ring cameras installed throughout the neighborhood scan the streets and identify the missing pet. It’s a heartwarming tale on the surface, positioning Search Party as a smart and helpful way to find a lost dog and bring him back home.

To Amazon’s credit, the feature was meant to be a benefit to users, boasting that more than one dog has been returned home per day since the feature launched. The broader implications, however, are that Search Party’s capabilities could easily be expanded to scan the faces of humans. It’s not unrealistic either, since Ring already does a version of this for designated family and friends with a feature called Familiar Faces. With humans as the target instead of animals, Ring’s camera network could create a surveillance state bolstered with facial recognition, ID matching, and a criminal database. It’s the stuff of dystopian nightmares.

Search Party is enabled by default on all Ring outdoor cameras and doorbells. That means your cameras have been automatically opted into the service without your consent, and they are actively scanning your street corner for lost pets right now.

Can the government spy on Americans with Search Party?

Amazon claims that privacy, security, and user control are critical pillars in Ring’s products and services. If this were the case, Search Party would have been optional from the start, but I digress.

For what it’s worth, Ring will only hand over users’ personal information and the recorded footage saved to user accounts when served a legal warrant or for urgent law enforcement requests involving imminent danger. So the government probably won’t exploit Search Party for surveillance purposes now or in the future, at least not in most cases.

Either way, it’s still creepy that Ring could one day build and keep a record of every person who walks by one of their devices, thanks to AI disguised as a helpful pet finder.

RELATED: How to stop Microsoft from letting the government see everything on your computer

Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

How to disable Search Party on Ring cameras

Although Search Party comes pre-enabled on your devices, you have the power to turn it off. Follow these quick steps to rid yourself of Amazon’s intrusive AI spyware for good:

  • Open the Ring app on your smartphone.
  • Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner.
  • From the menu, choose “Control Center.”
  • Under “Search Party,” tap on the “Search for Lost Pets” option, and disable it.

Screenshots credit Global Success Narratives

Your neighbors need to know about Search Party too

Keep in mind that disabling Search Party on your cameras is only half the battle. Every other Ring camera, including the ones in your neighborhood, is surveilling the block, monitoring you and your neighbors when you walk by. If you really want to kick Amazon’s AI out of your community, you’ll need to spread the word.

Tell your neighbors about the feature and how to disable it. Bring it up in town hall meetings. Let your neighbors know you do not want Search Party anywhere near your home. Only then will you be free from Amazon’s prying eyes.

Texas Army sergeant arrested after video of 3-year-old boy being brutally beaten goes viral



A Texas Army sergeant stationed at Fort Hood was arrested after video showing a 3-year-old boy being brutally beaten went viral on social media.

Waco Police said Paul Thames, 29, is the male seen in a Ring doorbell camera video beating the child, KWTX-TV reported, adding that the clip was recorded at the Legend Apartments and shared with law enforcement.

'Are you going to stop playing?'

Thames is being held on a federal detainer at the McLennan County Jail, the station said.

A spokesperson with the 1st Cavalry Division confirmed to KWTX in an email that Thames is a sergeant stationed at Fort Hood.

“We are aware of the arrest of Sgt. Paul Thames for abuse of a child. The 1st Cavalry Division is in communication with law enforcement. We are disgusted by the video that has been posted,” the official told the station. "The behavior of Sgt. Thames does not reflect the values of the 1st Cavalry Division or the U.S. Army.”

RELATED: Woman admits to beating to death boyfriend's 3-year-old son after horrific abuse, court records show

The video shared with KWTX shows the male picking up the toddler and hitting him at least five times in the torso with a clenched fist, the station said.

The boy is heard crying as the man pulls him up by the face and asks, “Are you going to stop playing?” KWTX reported, adding that the male then walks away with the child.

Police were dispatched around 5:20 p.m. Friday to the apartment complex located at 2400 Corporation Parkway to investigate the incident, the station said.

Police added to KWTX that the child was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where medical personnel evaluated him, and he was later released.

Thames surrendered to authorities and was booked into the McLennan County Jail late Friday night, the station said, adding that he was charged with injury to a child, a third-degree felony.

Thames' bond was set at $200,000, but KWTX said the county jail confirmed that he was being held on a federal detainer.

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Helpless suburban couple obediently hand over valuables — even clothing — to armed males in front of their home: Doorbell cam



A Ring camera caught the moment when a helpless suburban Chicago couple in front of their own home obediently handed over their valuables — and even their clothing — to armed robbers who rushed them Monday night.

Greg Poulos and Angie Beltsos were walking to their front porch in Glenview around 10 p.m. after dinner in the city when a car pulled up, WBBM-TV reported.

'I was always taught by my father just give whatever they want, give what they want, and your life is far more valuable.'

Police said three males approached them, pulled out guns, and demanded their belongings, the station said.

Beltsos told WBBM she saw one male "running at us pointing a gun, screaming at us to give him everything."

The couple did just that.

Video shows one of the robbers telling them to "give me all that s**t," and Poulos and Beltsos immediately tossed their cell phones and keys to the ground; Beltsos also gave up her purse, the station said.

"You got it. You got it. Here, take it. Take it. Take everything. Take everything. Take everything. Take everything. Take everything. Here, you can have it. Honest to God, guys," Poulos was heard on the clip telling the robbers, WBBM reported.

"I started throwing shoes and coats," Beltsos noted to the station in the aftermath; video shows them both removing their jackets for the crooks.

Poulos told WBBM, "I was always taught by my father just give whatever they want, give what they want, and your life is far more valuable."

The nightmare didn't end there, however.

Video doesn't show that the crooks soon "had us lie down on our stomachs, and pointing guns at us, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, is this how it's going to end today?'" Beltsos recounted to the station, adding that "for a moment, they were standing there, and they ran off."

Police told WBBM the robbers sped out of the neighborhood in a Jaguar SUV, which was later found abandoned and empty in Chicago.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

"People have become much more brazen, and they need to be held accountable," Beltsos added to the station.

Glenview police told WBBM they're talking to other local police departments in an attempt to identify the robbers.

The village of Glenview is about 40 minutes northwest of Chicago and is "one of the best places to live in Illinois," according to Niche. It's also a haven for retirees and boasts "a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks" as well as "highly rated" public schools, Niche adds.

Poulos told the station that people nowadays have "to be vigilant and keep their head on a swivel."

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Suspect tries to flee Phoenix police by leaping rooftop to rooftop. When that fails, he tries to outrun a K-9 unit.



A suspect took a police chase to the rooftops of Phoenix Tuesday evening. Despite some bold moves, he was ultimately brought down by gravity and a particularly eager K-9 unit.

Police indicated in a statement obtained by KSAZ-TV that Jamie Chavira's downfall Tuesday began when he allegedly failed to stop his vehicle for police in the area of 38th Avenue and Mobile Lane.

"The vehicle failed to yield to a traffic stop and felony flight was established," said the statement. "Officers did not initiate a pursuit of the vehicle. Rather, it was tracked to the area of 35th Avenue and Roeser Street."

Chavira, 19, was reportedly seen in the area jumping into the back yard of several homes as well as climbing onto a number of rooftops.

Christelle Kouam Chuene was at home with her three sleeping children when she heard the commotion.

Chuene told KSAZ, "When I looked out my window, I saw somebody jumping house to house. ... I saw him jumping from one house to the other one. It was so crazy. It was really cray and scary."

"I just saw the guy jumping like a monkey," she added. "He seems like he knew what he was doing."

Evidently, Chavira didn't know how to do it successfully.

The final moments of the chase were captured by Chuene's Ring doorbell camera.

The footage shows the shirtless suspect illuminated by a helicopter's search light atop the roof of a West Phoenix home near 35th Avenue and Roeser Road. Several officers can be seen closing in below with nonlethal weapons at the ready.

Undaunted by what appears to be a gap at least 10 feet wide, Chavira leaps toward the neighboring roof. Lacking the luck and grace necessary to traverse the divide, he lands between the houses.

Though grounded, Chavira is not yet willing to surrender. Instead, he pushes aside the blue bin that helped break his fall and makes a mad dash past police, through a hail of nonlethal rounds, and across the driveway of the neighboring house. Again, he is thwarted by his own ineptitude.

This time, he loses his footing, stumbles, then finds himself fighting the jaws of the law.

A K-9 unit got its teeth into what appears to be his hand. It thrashes its fleshy ransom until police officers are able to make the arrest.

K9 TAKEDOWN:\nPhoenix Police deployed a K9 on a suspect attempting to flee on foot after falling off a roof while jumping between houses last night.\n\n#News #Phoenix #Police #PoliceK9 #CaughtOnCamera
— Jack | OnSceneTV Phoenix (@Jack | OnSceneTV Phoenix) 1697595203

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Chavira was charged with two counts of transportation violations and at least one count of criminal trespass and burglary. KSAZ indicated he has also been charged with resisting arrest.

Following his arrest, he was taken to a hospital to be treated for a dog bite, according to police.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

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Video captures shocking moment house explodes into large fireball, killing 5 people: 'This isn't the first time'



At least five people are dead after a house suddenly exploded in a neighborhood outside Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, a house in Plum, a town about 15 miles outside Pittsburgh, exploded, destroying three homes and damaging more than a dozen others in the neighborhood. Five people were killed in the tragic incident — four adults and one child — while another person was critically wounded.

A Ring doorbell camera attached to a nearby house captured the shocking explosion:

— (@)

Crews from 18 different fire departments were dispatched to help battle the ensuing fire and search for victims in the rubble. According to WTAE-TV, 57 firefighters were treated for injuries at the scene.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear, and officials warned the investigation could take months or years. The natural gas utility company that services the area investigated for potential leaks, but the company found its systems had been "operating as designed" when the explosion occurred, WTAE reported.

Plum, unfortunately, is no stranger to home explosions.

Last April, a house exploded in a neighborhood about 4 miles away from the site of Saturday's explosion. Fortunately, no one died in that incident. The cause of that explosion remains under investigation.

There was another deadly explosion in 2008, the cause of which was later discovered. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that a 2-inch natural gas distribution pipeline had been hit by a backhoe when a sewer line was replaced five years prior in 2003, stripping the pipeline of its protective coating and making it susceptible to corrosion and failure.

Holiday Park fire Chief James Sims said he has responded to six house explosions in Plum in his decades as a firefighter.

"This isn't the first time that this has happened in Plum," resident Justin Newman told WTAE. "We need answers. We need to know why this is happening. It's sad that people lost their lives and we don’t have answers. We need answers for these families we need answers for this community."

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Wired magazine recommends against the use of Ring cameras for home security for fear of 'racial profiling'



The left's resentment of effective means for curbing crime is no longer limited to armed homeowners, robust police forces, stern criminal laws, and effective prosecutors. Now, home surveillance tech has been classed as "dangerous" and potentially racist.

Ring cameras are a popular commodity among those seeking greater security or at the very least some hope of identifying home invaders so that justice can later be meted out.

TheBlaze has previously detailed multiple occasions on which these devices and others like them have been utilized to great effect, highlighting heroics, exposing criminality, documenting statist intimidation efforts, and recording unsettling events.

The prospect that neighbors and communities can coordinate to counter crime, bolster security, report missing pets, and/or look out for one another is condemnable, at least where the tech magazine Wired is concerned.

Adrienne So, a senior associate reviews editor at Wired, noted in a July 9 article recently indicated that these devices, while "affordable and ubiquitous," are altogether "dangerous," not only to users but to "society in general."

So reported that upon installing a Ring camera, users are automatically enrolled in the optional Neighbors service.

The Neighbors app is touted as a means of helping "put an end to local crime spree."

The app "uses your address to create a radius around your home. If anyone shares an alert on the app about crime or safety within that radius, you'll get a notification on your phone and tablet. Conversely, if you share an alert on the app about a crime or safety issue in your radius, your neighbors will also get a notification on their phones and tablets."

So fears that homeowners with Ring cameras and the Neighbors app might collaborate with local police services or worse — that the devices might expose the wrong kinds of criminals.

So noted that the Neighbors app enables "Ring owners to send videos they've captured with their Ring video doorbell cameras and outdoor security cameras to law enforcement."

Despite admitting "it is legally not allowed [for police] to access your personal videos or information without your permission" and that Ring owners have the choice not to forward footage of a possible crime to police, So insinuated that law enforcement would access footage for which a warrant is needed.

So's primary concern appears to be less the fact that police might get their hands on incriminating footage but the demographics of those incriminated.

"Neighbors increases the possibility of racial profiling. It makes it easier for both private citizens and law enforcement agencies to target certain groups for suspicion of crime based on skin color, ethnicity, religion, or country of origin," wrote So. "We have been concerned about this issue since Ring started partnering with police departments to hand out free video cameras."

So further suggested, "Putting a frictionless feature directly into Neighbors makes it that much easier for Ring owners to bombard law enforcement with unsubstantiated and possibly biased alarms."

Largely for fear of bias, So recommended against purchasing Ring cameras despite their affordability, because "contributing to a just society is also a factor in keeping your family safe."

Richard Hanania, president of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, responded to So's article, tweeting, "I absolutely love this. Ring cameras help solve and prevent crime. What's the problem? If it's too easy and solve and prevent crime, it just means you might start suspecting black people. Ergo, we should make it harder to fight crime. Liberals."

Ted Frank, director of litigation at the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, highlighted how Wired alternatively praised Nextdoor, which removed the feature whereby users can submit incriminating videos to the police "in, you guessed it, 2020" — around the time the "defund the police" movement kicked off in earnest.

Revolver suggested, "It's official: liberalism is not only a mental disorder, it's also a death wish."

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