Amazon has agreed to pay out $30.8m to settle claims it violated people’s privacy. $5.8 million for spying on female customers in their bedrooms and bathrooms on Ring cameras and a $25 million settlement over violating children’s privacy by failing to delete audio captured by Alexa smart speaker recordings when requested by parents and keeping the recordings longer than necessary.
Samuel Levine, the director of FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said Amazon had “sacrificed privacy for profits.”
“Ring’s disregard for privacy and security exposed consumers to spying and harassment,” Levine said in a statement on Wednesday.
The former employee, Steven Moss, was able to access the Ring doorbell cameras of female customers by using his personal Amazon account to sign into the Ring app. Moss was able to view footage of the customers in their homes for months without their knowledge or consent.
Amazon fired Moss in 2017 after learning of his actions, but the company did not notify the customers who were spied on. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Amazon in December 2022, alleging that the company violated the privacy of its customers by failing to adequately secure its Ring doorbell cameras.
The settlement is the latest in a series of privacy concerns raised about Amazon’s Ring doorbell cameras. In 2021, Amazon was accused of allowing law enforcement to access Ring doorbell footage without a warrant. The company has also been criticized for its use of facial recognition technology with its Ring cameras.
The settlement is a good first step for Amazon, but it’s important to remember that this is just one case. There are likely many other cases of Ring cameras being used to spy on people without their consent. It’s important for people to be aware of the privacy risks associated with Ring cameras and to take steps to protect their privacy.
Here are some things to consider when using Ring cameras:
Do you really need a Ring camera? Consider whether you really need a Ring camera before you buy one. There are other ways to protect your home, maybe you really just don’t need a Ring camera.
Photo by Cláudia Back