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Super Bowl Ad for Ring Cameras Touted AI Surveillance Network
- vondur 9mo agoMost people don't care if they feel it helps solve crimes. I doubt it does 90% of the time though.
- SoftTalker 9mo agoThat's the thing, it legitimately does solve some crimes. And both Flock and the police who use it will quickly trot out some high profile examples. It is one of those classic "if it saves one child it's worth any price" arguments. Are you OK with being tracked everywhere you go in public so that some bad guys don't get away with their bad activities? Many people are.
- superkuh 9mo agoFlock cameras are probably the cause of more crime than they solve with all the abuse by employees, federal agencies, and the general insecurity.
- Sebguer 9mo agoIt's the wage theft versus retail theft problem, no matter which one has higher 'real' costs, society has decided that one is the 'real' problem that we should prioritize.
- toephu2 9mo agoDoubt it. Any sources for that? I am in favor of the flock cameras. Most people tend to behave if they know they are being watched. They have helped reduce crime in the cities they've been deployed in.
- potatototoo99 9mo agoThat's the good thing about police states, no crime! (except state-sanctioned crimes against humanity of course)
- dawnerd 9mo agoPlease cite your source for that. Cities are pulling out of contracts with flock because they lied about who has access to data and there’s been improper access.
- try_the_bass 9mo agoYou're not really refuting his point. Cities aren't pulling out of Flock contacts because Flock isn't effective at clearing crimes. They're pulling out because Flock has garbage security, lies about who has/had access to the data, and generally argues in bad faith about all of it. These are separate concerns. I think ALPRs with proper access controls, short retention periods, and strict auditing/oversight are a net good. Flock... Not so much.
- superkuh 9mo ago>“Communities rejecting Flock aren’t choosing to be less safe; quite the opposite,” Hamid said. “They are coming to terms with how such a massive, sprawling, and ultimately ungovernable surveillance system puts themselves and their community members at risk.” https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/flock-haters-cross-political-divides-to-remove-error-prone-cameras/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/flock-haters-cro... https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_letter_to_flock.pdf https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_letter_to_f... https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-krishnamoorthi-urge-ftc-to-investigate-surveillance-tech-company-on-negligently-handling-americans-personal-data https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-krish... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/flock-safetys-feature-updates-cannot-make-automated-license-plate-readers-safe https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/flock-safetys-feature-... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/11/human-toll-alpr-errors https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/11/human-toll-alpr-errors https://www.404media.co/a-texas-cop-searched-license-plate-cameras-nationwide-for-a-woman-who-got-an-abortion/ https://www.404media.co/a-texas-cop-searched-license-plate-c... https://www.404media.co/ice-taps-into-nationwide-ai-enabled-camera-network-data-shows/ https://www.404media.co/ice-taps-into-nationwide-ai-enabled-... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/flocks-gunshot-detection-microphones-will-start-listening-human-voices https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/flocks-gunshot-detecti... https://denverite.com/2025/10/27/bow-mar-flock-cameras-accusation/ https://denverite.com/2025/10/27/bow-mar-flock-cameras-accus... https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2025/04/02/detroit-settles-lawsuit-license-plate-reader-error-isoke-robinson/82753538007/ https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2025... https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/doritos-or-gun https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/doritos-or-gun - not flock but a dangerous example of AI surveillance camera false positives risking people's lives. And even with that minimal effort I've already provided about the same quality of sources that Flock corporate does for their claims.
- toephu2 9mo ago> Are you OK with being tracked everywhere you go in public so that some bad guys don't get away with their bad activities? Many people are. If it helps catch 1/10 criminals? or even 1 more out of 100 criminals than would be otherwise caught? I am. I have nothing to hide. Also, in public, anyone can record you on video without your permission anyway.
- text0404 9mo ago> I have nothing to hide What's your full name and current address? Where do you work? What locations do you frequent in your day-to-day life? Who do you live with and spend the most time with? Can you please list their full names and contact information? Would you mind turning on location tracking on your phone? Once you've done this, let me know and I'll email you so you can share it with me.
- roughly 9mo agoAlso, what church do you attend? Is it the right one? Who’d you vote for last time? Who do you plan to vote for this time? Is your spouse or romantic partner the right kind of person? Are you sure? What hobbies do you have? What books are you reading? What’s really going on in that head of yours?
- kemotep 9mo agoWe’re going to need bank accounts. Not just the account number and routing number, to validate transaction history against known Terrorist organization affiliated bank accounts but also their login information so we can review credit card statements and so on. Because they have nothing hide they shouldn’t fear anyone being able to access this information after all.
- toephu2 9mo agoBut Flock doesn't ask for this nor does it gather this information. I know what you are trying to do. You are trying to say this is just the first step to a full invasion of privacy. Except it's not. They are trying to make America safer. They don't want full control of your life. You are taking this example too far to the extreme. Also Flock cameras just record license plates. Have you ever been to South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore or any other democratic nation with lots of CCTVs? Have you seen the crime rates there? basically 0. I wish we could have those levels of crime in the U.S.
- dawnerd 9mo agoI don’t think many are. Most are clueless. If you ask just would you mind a camera if it stops a crime sure people would say yes but if you asked it with all the details of what that data is used for beyond solving crime they’d for sure mostly say no.
- ChrisArchitect 9mo agoThe ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OheUzrXsKrY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OheUzrXsKrY
- RegnisGnaw 9mo agoThe answer is that most people don't care if it benefits them. My Tesla has 6 cameras recording full time when driving and parked, but it benefits me so I enable it. It saved me $1000+ (my deductible and possible rise in insurance rates) when someone hit my car while parked at Costco (they drove off but Sentry Mode caught them).
- apt-apt-apt-apt 9mo agoDid that result in a hit-and-run charge for them?
- RegnisGnaw 9mo agoThe Tesla Sentry Mode only got their license plate in footage. They hit my parked car as they were backing out of their spot. I was able to go after their insurance to fix it. Since I didn’t capture who was driving, the police didn’t charge them with hit and run.
- ooterness 9mo agoSo you gave up everyone's privacy for no benefit at all?
- Omatic810 9mo agoI don't think a Costco parking lot provides any reasonable expectation of privacy to be given up.
- DangitBobby 9mo agoI think there should be more than one standard. "Reasonable expectation of privacy" is usually used to dismiss people's concerns about constant surveillance. Let's stop being complicit in public surveillance.
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- Bratmon 9mo agoFun fact: Lockheed Martin advertises the F-35 during football games, because even though most of the audience isn't in the market for massive government contracts, the people who are are watching. I suspect the Ring mass surveillance ads are the same thing.
- chasd00 9mo agoThe Super Bowl fly over was kind of random. My son said it was f18s, f35s, and f15s. I was able to make out the two b1bs. It was like the air force forgot about the flyover and just scrambled whatever was on the closest tarmac.
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- gerdesj 9mo agoGiven your description, its good to see the USAAF are clearly on the ball when it comes to security. If, say, all your B1s overflew the nutjob bowl then certain planners across the world might decide to act in a certain way. A random assortment leaves everyone guessing.
- alex43578 9mo agoYou could have a 9 plane fly-by of just B2s, and you’d still have less than half our operational stock committed (disregarding maintenance/readiness issues). Using a few planes for a fly-by, particularly of anything other than B2, wouldn’t possibly “give away” any info.
- orthecreedence 9mo agoFor a while, someone in our neighborhood was going around and stabbing people's packages at our mailbox area on our street. Some of the neighbors wanted us to put a surveillance cam on our property because our place is right in front of the mailboxes. We told them all to fuck off, but promised we'd be on the lookout. Turns out this deviant package stabber, surely a scruffy disgruntled man in his 40s who was likely on six types of meth, cloaked and operating in the shroud of darkness, was actually a mischievous raven. I'm glad we didn't expand the surveillance hell hole that has the US has absentmindedly embraced just to find the infamous package stabber was a raven. The neighbors, many of whom were screaming for blood, were incredibly let down when we shared what had actually happened. Not super relevant, but funny. Also, fuck Ring.
- yunnpp 9mo agoThat sounds like peak Nextdoor Karen paranoia, thanks for sharing. Honestly, some people are just too dumb.
- dfxm12 9mo agoI don't know if it is a matter of being dumb. I think a bigger part of it is that people are conditioned by a bombardment of bad-faith ads like this, as well as news media convincing you to be wary of your neighbors & trade freedom for giving power to LEO.
- kstrauser 9mo agoI have a Logitech Circle video doorbell that doesn't share my video. When we had a porch pirate, I absolutely shared that video with the police. Screw that guy. But it was our deliberate decision to share the video and we decided exactly how much to give them. I like having the ability to help law enforcement. I demand the right to choose how and when to do so.
- ThrowawayTestr 9mo agoUnironically the most terrifying thing I've ever seen on TV. The use of dogs to convince people this is a good idea is so blatant.
- roughly 9mo agoI’d bet money if you uploaded a person’s picture as your “dog” it’d work.
- PepperdineG 9mo agoDog the Bounty Hunter
- tantalor 9mo agoThe Byrna ad was pretty fucked up too. https://youtu.be/ldMqXUReHVo https://youtu.be/ldMqXUReHVo
- alex43578 9mo agoThe worse part about that is the idea that a glorified paintball gun is actually a substitute for proper self-defense.
- tantalor 9mo agoI'm genuinely worried about what happens when someone pulls out this toy and somebody else, mistaking it for a real gun, responds with lethal force.
- pcchristie 9mo agoWas this AI? What was with the weird uncanny smoothing effect over the whole video?
- dabinat 9mo agoRing’s marketing is almost comically wholesome, but as soon as ICE learns that such a thing is possible they will for sure want to use it. This interview with Forbes from a few months ago provides some extra details: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidphelan/2025/12/05/how-search-party-for-ring-doorbells-introduces-a-ground-breaking-neighborhood-feature/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidphelan/2025/12/05/how-sear... 1. Apparently what happens is that the AI scans the videos of surrounding cameras and pings the owner to ask if they can share the footage. So no video is shared unless the owner chooses. 2. Ring is indeed working on being able to detect people.
- youarentrightjr 9mo ago> So no video is shared unless the owner chooses. That's all fine and good until we hear "oops, turns out all the customer video feeds were streaming to our cop accessible servers 24/7!". I don't believe Ring's claims (or flock etc etc) for one second.
- beart 9mo agoMore likely - a quiet update changing opt-in to opt-out. They can repeat this update as many times as they want and each time, a few more people will miss the email. They can also hold your data hostage, i.e. "All data now and historical will be included in our partner sharing unless you delete it all."
- randycupertino 9mo agoIt's more that police will use it for their own personal inquiries- to track their girlfriends, potential girlfriends etc. This happens enough already with license plate readers: - Sedgwick, Kansas (2024): Former Police Chief Lee Nygaard resigned after it was discovered he used Flock cameras to track his ex-girlfriend and her new partner 228 times over four months, according to The Wichita Eagle and KAKE. - Menasha, Wisconsin (Jan 2026): Officer Cristian Morales was charged with misconduct in office for allegedly using the Flock system to track his ex-girlfriend, WLUK-TV reported. Morales admitted to using the system due to "desperation" and "bad judgment". - Orange City, Florida (2025): Officer Jarmarus Brown was charged with stalking after reportedly running his girlfriend's license plate 69 times, her mother's 24 times, and her brother's 15 times over seven months, the Miami Herald reported. - San Diego, California (2021): Sergeant Mariusz Czas was arrested for stalking his ex-girlfriend using police resources https://fox11online.com/news/crime/menasha-police-officer-accused-of-using-license-plate-recognition-system-to-track-his-ex-girlfriend-cristian-morales-misconduct-in-office-flock-domestic-abuse-restraining-order-cash-bond https://fox11online.com/news/crime/menasha-police-officer-ac... https://local12.com/news/nation-world/police-chief-gets-caught-using-license-plate-cameras-to-track-his-ex-girlfriend-228-times-arrests-charges-probation-flock-safety-follow-stalk-new-boyfriend-broke-up-out-of-town-misuse https://local12.com/news/nation-world/police-chief-gets-caug...
- charcircuit 9mo agoHaving safe neighborhoods is such an important factor to people's quality of life. If Ring cameras can help achieve that it will be a benefit for society.
- brendoelfrendo 9mo agoI feel less safe knowing that anyone's doorbell could be tracking me and sending my movements to a third party to do whatever they want with that information. A camera that lets someone see their front doorstep and can record someone stealing a package is one thing; when that camera is now part of a network that is part of a larger, society-wide surveillance apparatus, I am concerned.
- dawnerd 9mo agoSafe neighborhoods existed before ring and connected doorbells. They only serve to track and monitor your neighbors and feed into some ai training set, especially if you’re labeling who each person is.
- charcircuit 9mo agoI don't want safe neighborhoods to just exist, I want every neighborhood to be safe.
- ImPostingOnHN 9mo agoUnfortunately Ring doesn't help with that.
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- quantified 9mo agoAt the expense of how much else?
- xbar 9mo agoNo one at my party understood my horror. "But think of the dogs!?"
- pstuart 9mo agoI didn't see the commercial but had it described to me -- it seemed like a brilliant bit of whitewashing the "oopsie we just added more surveillance state!" The proposed solution is lovely. And having the tools of the surveillance state available for things like a lost child or tracking a porch pirate or whathaveyou should be nice things we should be able to have. But we won't get those nice things, but Big Brother will whether we like that or not.
- BloodyIron 9mo agoI'm actually probably going to start asking new friends if, when they invite me over, if they have a ring doorbell. I'm getting fed up with being recorded without consent just because I want to go visit someone. Fuck that.
- hydrogen7800 9mo agoAnd your neighbor across the street, so there is now one of these watching you come and go 24/7.
- 4d4m 9mo agoGross, creepy, nasty behavior from the founders of Ring and Amazon. I would be suprised, but they've been chipping away at your privacy and rights from your neighbors door now for years, as long as it benefits them, for now!
- Aenorium 9mo agoIn the context of the US, what right would, in theory, prevent a national law that regulates or prohibits the capture of biometric information of people while out in public? There is a common quip that some rely on that "there is no expectation of privacy while in public", but that's an aspirational statement rather than a strictly legal one. Setting aside government mass surveillance for the moment, could the US regulate private mass surveillance that records people's identifiable biometrics?
- mosselman 9mo agoI don't have a video doorbell so I don't know. What is so great about them? Has it changed your life in a positive way? To those who do have one that is.
- program_whiz 9mo agointerestingly, with the Guthrie disappearance, her camera had been disabled with no subscription, but they were still able to "find the footage" that was being stored on backend servers. Whoops... Looks like it just always records, they just don't let you access it unless you pay subscription. I'm sure the prospect of using it for AI training and surveillance is just too juicy to pass up. It wasn't ring (amazon), it was Nest (google), but same thing. I have no doubt that "disabled no-subscription ring cams" are probably streaming video that is stored in perpetuity as well. (Most of which you aren't allowed to see yourself, even of your own property).
- gradientsrneat 9mo agoI wonder to what extent these articles weren't written by principled tech freedom advocates and are just ads, because they can't seem to go more than a few paragraphs without mentioning the AI buzzword. It doesn't matter if the article is for or against AI, because AI doom makes the AI stock prices go up too. It's hardly relevant here; mass surveillance worked fine without the current hype.