Ring home security firm told users to set up ‘digital neighborhood watch’ groups and report all suspicious activity to the police in exchange for free and discounted products
- Ring advised users to form their own ‘Digital Neighborhood Watch’ to report crime in exchange for discounted goods
- Ring told users that they could get discount codes for its products and other goods if the reported suspicious activity in their neighborhood to police
- The presentation asked that users report loitering, ‘strange vans and cars’, ‘people posing as utility worker,’ and those who appeared to be casing cars
- The home security company was acquired by Amazon for $1billion last year.
- A spokesman said the offer was introduced before Ring was taken over by Amazon and has been discontinued
Home security firm Ring advised users of the system to form their own ‘Digital Neighborhood Watch’ to report crime in exchange for free or discounted goods.
According to a presentation obtained by Motherboard, Ring told users that they could get discount codes for Ring products and other goods if they reported suspicious activity in their neighborhood to police.
The presentation asked that users report loitering, ‘strange vans and cars, people posing as utility workers’, and those who appeared to be casing cars on the street.
And if a Digital Neighborhood Watch solved a crime with the help of a local police officer, members would receive a $50 discount off any Ring product.
The Ring whole-home security system lets users check cameras and get alerts on their smart phone when doors or windows open or motion is detected. The company was acquired by online retail giant Amazon for $1billion last year.
A spokesman for Ring told the outlet the program described in the slide presentation was introduced in 2017, before Ring was taken over by the online retail giant. She confirmed that it was discontinued during the same year.
Ring, Amazon’s home security company, encouraged users to form their own ‘Digital Neighborhood Watch’ to report crime in exchange for free or discounted goods
A spokesman for Ring told the outlet the program described in the slide presentation was introduced in 2017, before Ring was taken over by the online retail giant
The Ring spokesman said: ‘This particular idea was not rolled out widely and was discontinued in 2017.
‘We will continue to invent, iterate, and innovate on behalf of our neighbors while aligning with our three pillars of customer privacy, security, and user control.
‘Some of these ideas become official programs, and many others never make it past the testing phase.’ The spokesman claimed that the company ‘is always exploring new ideas and initiatives.’
A slide presentation, which Motherboard obtained from a source, states that the company has a varied definition of ‘suspicious activity,’ and claims that police should be called it if it is noticed in the area.
It was reported that all digital neighborhood watches had a ‘Neighborhood Manager’ to get in touch with at Ring.
The manager was available to answer questions helped groups invite local police officers to ‘enroll’ in their watch, according to Motherboard.
Ring users can use the app to manage all Ring security devices, including, doorbells, cameras, Smart Lighting, Alarm, and third-party locks.
A Ring whole-home security system means users can get alerts on their smart phone when doors or windows open or motion is detected
The presentation stated that if a Digital Neighborhood Watch solved a crime with the help of a local police officer, members received a $50 discount off any Ring product
Users have to enable the Ring Skill in the Alexa App and link the Alexa and Ring accounts to get started.
Delores Jones-Brown, a criminal justice professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, described the presentation as ‘disturbing,’
She told Motherboard: ‘It has a decidedly middle-class and conservative bent.
‘It presupposes people have the resources to purchase and maintain the Ring products and monitoring system and presupposes that there is enough collective efficacy in the neighborhood to organize and maintain a watch program.’