Amazon, Ring sued for alleged privacy violations from facial recognition tools
Key takeaways
- The Familiar Faces feature may store biometrics without people’s knowledge.
- The hits keep coming for Amazon's smart home brand Ring.
- "Millions of other Americans passed by a Ring security camera and unknowingly had their facial recognition information collected," the suit states.
The Familiar Faces feature may store biometrics without people’s knowledge.
PJ Mc Donnell/Shutterstock. The hits keep coming for Amazon's smart home brand Ring. The company has been sued on claims that a feature on its doorbells and cameras allows the devices to collect and store photos of passers by without their consent. The Familiar Faces capability at the center of the lawsuit is an optional one that leverages AI to recognize and remember people who frequent a location. Plaintiff Charles Sigwalt is seeking class action certification for the suit, and is looking for at least $5 million in damages.
"Millions of other Americans passed by a Ring security camera and unknowingly had their facial recognition information collected," the suit states. It also referenced a letter to Amazon from US Senator Edward Markey, who wrote, "Amazon's system forces non-consenting bystanders into a biometric database without their knowledge or consent. This is an unacceptable privacy violation."