What is the Super Bowl Ring Commercial Controversy? Four Risks

Ring doorbells are beneficial. They’re convenient, allowing us to monitor and speak with visitors via our phones from anywhere, and provide users with real-time alerts. But not everything can be all good.

The Ring Super Bowl commercial sparked a controversy about how a feature for finding lost dogs can put people at risk. Experts raise concerns about the inaccuracy of AI facial recognition, data collection, and unwanted surveillance.

According to a Consumer Reports survey, 30% of Americans have video doorbell cameras installed. Plus, half of those cameras are made by Ring. While users claim that Ring cameras are beneficial, some users and experts raise concerns about issues such as the controversial facial recognition, vulnerability to hacking, unauthorized employee access to user footage, and more. Such issues were brought up once again after the Ring Super Bowl ad.

During the recent Super Bowl, Amazon’s Ring doorbell camera triggered a backlash after showing a controversial commercial.

The ad showcased an emotional story about a lost dog. Its owner, a little girl, along with the entire family, tried to find the dog. Then, a map of a neighborhood had lit up blue circles that represented interconnected Ring cameras. Next, AI scanned the live feed, allowing neighbors to spot the missing dog and return it to the family.

This ad aimed to promote Ring’s feature called “Search Party.” Basically, when you lose a dog, you’ll be allowed to upload pictures. Then, your neighbors' Ring doorbell cameras, using AI scanning, will look for your lost pet.

As promising as this feature is (because who wouldn’t love an easier search for your lost pup), there are issues. For instance, as many have realized, if Ring cameras can scan for your lost dogs, then it’s highly likely that they can do this to identify human faces easily. Plus, experts argue that this normalizes the creation of a massive surveillance infrastructure, threatening individual privacy.

Should we really care? Let’s talk about the risks to answer that.

• Risk No. 1 - Unwanted Surveillance: As most users and experts say, this feature can lead to cameras detecting or identifying individuals easily without proper consent. For instance, these cameras can record even those just passing by. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) had stated, the ad had shown us a vision of a street that’s unsettling for the neighborhood, knowing that they can be recorded anytime and that the company can “disintegrate our privacy in public.”
  
• Risk No. 2 - Data Breach: Ring doorbell cameras, just like any other smart device, are vulnerable to hacking. And when they get hacked, it puts the data they store at risk. It can be sold on the dark web or used for extortion. The pieces of data that can be compromised are:
  
  • HD audio and videos of family, visitors, and passerbys (stored on Amazon servers)
  • User information (e.g., Name, contact details, address, and other details)
  • Activity logs (e.g., times of doorbell presses)
    
• Risk No. 3 - Empowered Scams: After a data breach, scammers will be able to buy your data on the dark web. Then, they’ll use your information to target you. For example, if they found out about your home address, scammers can visit you at home and target you with in-person scams like the “Fake Repair Company Scam.” You can know more about these in-person scams through Scam-Savvy: How to Protect Yourself and Spot a Scam.
  
• Risk No. 4 - AI Flaws: Another valid concern is the flaws in AI facial recognition. As we know, artificial intelligence is not perfect and accurate. In fact, there have been cases of AI facial recognition misidentifying people, which have led to wrongful arrest and false alerts.

These are very real risks. These are the reasons why you should care.

Now, what can you do to protect yourself from this threat of massive surveillance?

• Protection Method No. 1: Secure Your Account: Make sure that your Ring accounts or apps are secure by using strong passwords (ideally with the help of a password manager) and by enabling two-factor authentication or 2FA. These will keep your accounts and data safe from hackers.
  
• Protection Method No. 2: Limit Data Sharing: See to it that you’re not sharing too much information. The more data they collect, the bigger the impact on you in case a data breach happens. So, check settings and opt out of unnecessary data sharing.
  
• Protection Method No. 3: Reduce Visibility: For owners, we recommend disabling the “Familiar Faces” feature. This will stop your cameras from collecting biometric data of people, especially passersby, without consent.
  
• Protection Method No. 4 Encryption: Lastly, we encourage users to activate encryption for their footage storage. That way, you can ensure that only you have access to videos, protecting the biometrics of your family, visitors, and passersby.

Overall, there are real concerns about the Ring doorbell camera feature. It’s right to be concerned that our privacy is at risk. And while this will help a lot in finding your lost dogs, companies should take the risks to privacy into consideration.

During Super Bowl LVIII, LIX, and LX, He Gets Us aired spots that faced criticism over various issues. This includes the issues of their donors supporting anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion groups, overspending from the campaign, and claims of the campaign being apolitical.

Yes, law enforcement can access your Ring doorbell videos. Since Ring has partnered with Flock, its law enforcement customers can request access to videos from Ring users. However, federal law enforcement should first obtain a court order or a warrant to get access to videos.