Can Ring Employees See My Videos?
The FTC says a Ring employee watched thousands of videos from at least 81 women's cameras in 2017. Turn on End-to-End Encryption in the Ring app.
Key takeaways
- According to the FTC's 2023 complaint, between June and August 2017 a Ring employee viewed thousands of video recordings from at least 81 women, including customers and Ring employees. He searched for cameras named "Master Bedroom" and "Master Bathroom."
- The FTC alleged that Ring failed to detect this inappropriate access through technical means. A coworker discovered and reported the misconduct, not Ring's monitoring systems.
- The FTC press release in May 2023 said Ring allowed any employee or contractor to access consumers' private videos.
- In a July 2022 letter to Senator Edward J. Markey, Amazon disclosed that Ring had provided videos to law enforcement in response to emergency requests 11 times "so far this year," without the owners' consent.
- You can turn on End-to-End Encryption in the Ring app to prevent access to your videos. Ring says only your enrolled mobile devices can then view videos, not even Ring itself, and Ring cannot recover access.
You bought a camera to watch strangers at your door. Strangers have watched you.
According to the FTC's May 2023 complaint, between June and August 2017, a Ring employee viewed thousands of video recordings belonging to at least 81 unique female users, including Ring customers and Ring employees. The complaint states that the employee "focused his prurient searches on cameras with names indicating that they surveilled an intimate space, such as 'Master Bedroom,' 'Master Bathroom,' or 'Spy Cam.'"
The FTC alleged that Ring failed to detect this inappropriate access through any technical means. "By good fortune, in August 2017, an employee discovered her co-worker's actions and reported the misconduct," the complaint states. It was a coworker who caught him, not Ring's systems.
In the FTC's press release on May 31, 2023, the agency said Ring had been "compromising its customers' privacy by allowing any employee or contractor to access consumers' private videos."
It wasn't just employees.
Police got videos without owner consent
In July 2022, Amazon disclosed to Senator Edward J. Markey that Ring had provided videos to law enforcement without the owners' consent.
In a letter dated July 1, 2022, Amazon's vice president Brian Huseman wrote: "So far this year, Ring has provided videos to law enforcement in response to an emergency request only 11 times. In each instance, Ring made a good-faith determination that there was an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury."
Reuters, the Associated Press, and Politico reported on the letter on July 13, 2022. Senator Markey's press release that day confirmed that Ring provided videos to law enforcement "through a process that does not require the consent of the device owner, 11 times this year."
Amazon's letter covered the first half of 2022. It specified "so far this year," meaning through the date of the letter.
How to turn on End-to-End Encryption
If you have a Ring camera, you can turn on End-to-End Encryption so only your enrolled phones can see your videos. Ring says when this is on, not even Ring itself can access your content.
Here's how, according to Ring Support:
- Open the Ring app
- Tap the menu (three horizontal lines, usually at the top left)
- Go to Control Center
- Tap Video Encryption
- Tap Let's turn on End-to-End Encryption
- Tap Continue
- Set up your recovery options
- The app generates a unique 12-word passphrase. Save it somewhere safe. Ring cannot recover your videos if you lose this passphrase.
- Enroll each camera you want to protect
According to Ring Support: "Only your enrolled mobile devices can view videos, and no one else, including Ring services, can access your encrypted content."
Ring also states: "By design, Ring cannot access or help recover access to your end-to-end encrypted videos."
What you lose when you turn on encryption
When End-to-End Encryption is on, some Ring features stop working:
- You can't view videos on ring.com
- You can't use Alexa or Echo Show integration
- You can't use shared users
- Some other features are unavailable
Ring says obstacle avoidance and other core features still work. You just can't share access with other people or view on devices other than your enrolled phones.
Which cameras support End-to-End Encryption
Most Ring cameras support End-to-End Encryption, but some older models don't, including:
- 1st generation Ring Video Doorbell
- 2nd generation Ring Video Doorbell
- Some 1st generation Stick Up Cams
Check Ring Support's article "Using video end-to-end encryption" to see if your camera is supported.
Community Requests are voluntary
Ring's "Community Requests" feature lets law enforcement post a public request asking Ring users in an area to voluntarily share video from a specific time and place. According to Ring's policy, participation is voluntary. You can ignore these requests. They appear in the Ring app's Neighbors feed.
Turning on End-to-End Encryption also prevents you from responding to Community Requests, since your encrypted videos cannot be shared through Ring's systems.
What the FTC complaint said
The FTC's complaint filed May 31, 2023, alleged that the 2017 incident showed Ring's "failure to implement appropriate access controls and monitoring" (paragraph 18).
The complaint stated that the employee's inappropriate access continued for months before being discovered. The FTC alleged Ring did not have technical systems in place to detect this kind of misuse.
The complaint did not specify the settlement amount or any penalties. The FTC and Ring reached a proposed order that was announced in the May 31, 2023 press release.
What you can do now
If you own a Ring camera and you're concerned about who can access your videos:
- Turn on End-to-End Encryption in the Ring app if your camera supports it
- Save your 12-word passphrase somewhere secure (not on your phone)
- Review your privacy settings in the Ring app under Control Center
- Ignore Community Requests if you don't want to share video (participation is voluntary)
- Read Ring's privacy policy to understand how your data is used
The FTC complaint from 2023 covers events from 2017 and earlier. Ring's current practices and systems may differ from what the FTC described. End-to-End Encryption gives you technical control over who can view your videos, regardless of Ring's policies or access controls.
Your camera watches strangers. Now you can stop strangers from watching you.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, "FTC Says Ring Employees Illegally Surveilled Customers, Failed to Stop Hackers from Taking Control of Users' Cameras" (May 31, 2023): ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/05/ftc-says-ring-employees-illegally-surveilled-customers-failed-stop-hackers-taking-control-users
- Federal Trade Commission, Complaint, FTC v. Ring LLC (May 31, 2023): ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/complaint_ring.pdf
- Amazon letter to Senator Edward J. Markey (July 1, 2022): s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22084569/amazon-response-sen-markey-071322.pdf
- Reuters, Krystal Hu, "Amazon.com's Ring gave police data without user consent 11 times in 2022" (July 13, 2022): reuters.com/technology/amazoncoms-ring-gave-police-data-without-user-consent-11-times-2022-2022-07-13/
- Ring Support, "Using video end-to-end encryption": ring.com/support/articles/myr75/using-video-end-to-end-encryption
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Frequently asked questions
Can Ring employees see my videos?
According to the FTC's May 2023 complaint and press release, Ring previously allowed any employee or contractor to access consumers' private videos. In 2017, the FTC alleged a Ring employee viewed thousands of videos from at least 81 women. You can now turn on End-to-End Encryption in the Ring app so only your enrolled phones can view your videos.
Can police see my Ring camera without my permission?
In a July 2022 letter to Senator Edward J. Markey, Amazon said Ring had provided videos to law enforcement in response to emergency requests 11 times "so far this year" without the owners' consent. Ring's policy allows this in cases of imminent danger of death or serious physical injury.
How do I turn on End-to-End Encryption on my Ring camera?
Open the Ring app, tap the menu (three horizontal lines), go to Control Center, then Video Encryption, then turn on End-to-End Encryption. You'll need to set up recovery and save your 12-word passphrase. Then enroll each camera. Ring says only your enrolled phones can view videos when this is on.
What happens when I turn on End-to-End Encryption?
According to Ring Support, when you turn on End-to-End Encryption, only your enrolled mobile devices can view videos, and no one else, including Ring services, can access your encrypted content. Some features become unavailable, including viewing on ring.com, Alexa or Echo Show integration, and shared users.
Does End-to-End Encryption work on all Ring cameras?
Most Ring cameras support End-to-End Encryption, except for some older models, including 1st and 2nd generation Ring Video Doorbell and some 1st generation Stick Up Cams. Check Ring Support to see if your camera is supported.
Can Ring recover my videos if I lose my passphrase?
No. Ring says by design, Ring cannot access or help recover access to your end-to-end encrypted videos. You must keep your 12-word passphrase safe.
undoleak Team
