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Ring owners are returning their cameras

• em3rgent0rdr 8mo ago
  Stallman was right.
  • nehal3m 8mo ago
    Is, he’s still with us.
    • mkl 8mo ago
      Was, he said it a long time ago. He has said a lot of things that sounded kind of far-fetched and paranoid at the time, but which were later demonstrated to be true, so "Stallman was right" is reappraising the past statement.
      • nehal3m 8mo ago
        I understand what you mean, but he’s still saying it and he never stopped.
        • randallsquared 8mo ago
          Lots of people are saying some of those things now, but Stallman was saying them decades ago. It's not differentiating or meaningful to say "A is right" if B-E are saying the same thing at the same time.
          • Kiboneu 8mo ago
            Let’s just say Stallman was and is still in the process of being right
  • tokyobreakfast 8mo ago
    It's easy to be right when you live outside the boundaries of reality. E.g. he won't (didn't?) own a mobile phone, but is okay with borrowing someone else's. He won't use Wi-Fi where he has to log in but would happily borrow someone else's. It's not being right; it's shifting responsibility in exchange for his own personal convenience.
    • psoundy 8mo ago
      It's called 'setting an example'. One might disagree with value of the example being set, but I'm not sure I would characterize his choices as in any way convenient for him.
      • tokyobreakfast 8mo ago
        They he should do without. Live like the Amish in 2026 (though I assume they have phones now). It's not setting an example. We have a word for it and it's called being a mooch. The attitude is consistent with that famous video where RMS explains that he's "never installed GNU/Linux" because he could just ask someone else to do it for him, and suggest others should do the same. For that matter, why own a car if we can borrow someone else's? Especially with license plate readers and traffic cameras everywhere, who wants to be tracked? Let your friend be tracked instead. That is the level of logic here.
        • zelphirkalt 8mo ago
          First people call him "outside the boundaries of reality" then demand he lives like Amish... Look who is removed from reality now. How would he even work for the FSF's goals, if he were to follow silly advice like that? Apparently, whatever he does, he can't do right by every naysayer's standards. What many people miss is, that even Stallman admits, that you don't have to go cold turkey free/libre only, but it is already a step in the right direction to do what you can, accepting an inconvenience in exchange. Many people will rather bury their head in the sand than to accept any inconvenience at all.
      • kelnos 8mo ago
• joecool1029 8mo ago
  Wonder if this will still be the case now that it’s been announced they are suspending the partnership with Flock.
  • trymas 8mo ago
    <adjusting my tinfoil hat> wouldn’t it be easy to circumvent this? They can easily cooperate with some other chain of shady businesses that will cooperate with Flock or government surveillance.
  • glitchinc 8mo ago
    Ring still partners with Axon [1] as part of the Community Requests feature [2]. Since terminating the partnership with Flock is solely a PR play, the answer to your question will likely depend on if consumers en masse use this opportunity to educate themselves on the gravity of the “loss of control (of your data) in exchange for convenience” paradox of cloud services and advocate for additional changes to be made to the Ring platform, or if Amazon’s PR capability will find a way to improve consumer sentiment towards Ring products and services without addressing privacy and surveillance concerns. [1]:https://www.axon.com https://www.axon.com [2]:https://ring.com/support/articles/uds27/Community-request https://ring.com/support/articles/uds27/Community-request
  • mihaaly 8mo ago
    Flock was not the problem. The acts of Ring was the problem (partnering with Flock and forcing opt-in, among many). People bought Ring, people return Ring.
• Mistletoe 8mo ago
  “You had to live – did live, from habit that became instinct – in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized.” – George Orwell, 1984
  • Ekaros 8mo ago
    Ah, the time before infrared cameras... Makes one think that now we can have cameras that can see as well in what appears darkness for humans.
    • trhway 8mo ago
      to get some feeling of it one can watch footage from Ukraine where drones with IR hunt soldiers at night. At the beginning of war, when soldiers didn't yet started to take it into account, there would even be whole groups walking like they would be at night feeling invisible, and that would be the last seconds before the explosion lights up the screen. These days there is more experience with it, and for example to get "invisible" in IR one of the tricks used by the stormtroopers there is to put on an IR-protective coverall (it works to some extent and for short time) and to walk over warm asphalt. In general even without IR the regular camera sensors these days are very sensitive, and you can pull a pretty good image out from the darkness by shifting dynamic range well down.
      • simoncion 8mo ago
        You don't even need to get so "fancy" [0] as IR cameras. "Nightvision" by way of light amplification has been around for ages. [1] Even the cheap stuff I played with decades ago lit up the night like nobody's business if there was even the smallest amount of moonlight. The downside was that bright lights made the image useless, but if you're building a robot, or running the video feed back to an operator you'd simply have another non-nightvision camera. [0] Is it fancy if IR camera tech has been around since like the 1980's or 1970's? [1] Since WWII if Wikipedia is to be believed.
        • 8mo ago
• asdff 8mo ago
  Funny how a single superbowl ad from Ring themselves was able to do in one weekend what a thousand and one anti Ring bloggers were unable to do for the past 10 years straight. This commercial and the response will probably be studied in marketing classes.
  • pjmlp 8mo ago
    It is very simple, most regular people don't read random blogs, however they do watch Superbowl. This is to be studied by geeks, how to approach non-technical audiences.
    • avhception 8mo ago
      By buying a superbowl ad?
      • pjmlp 8mo ago
        By packing in a message that is understandble by non techies.
        • whilenot-dev 8mo ago
          Agree with GP, the message by techies wasn't opaque, the choice of message broker just had a different reach.
        • dns_snek 8mo ago
          It won't matter because they don't care. The masses don't concern themselves with theoretical threats even when they understand them on an intellectual level, they buy the emotional argument no matter how weak it is on technical merit. To convince them otherwise, you need to offer a more compelling emotional argument, but politicians and lobbyist already tell them that they're going to get raped and killed in the street unless they support their agenda. So what do you do? How do you come up with an emotional argument that's more compelling than that?
      • ThrowawayTestr 8mo ago
• ulrikrasmussen 8mo ago
  Good. But people should not have pointed cameras into public spaces and live streamed everything to the cloud to begin with. Walking past a house with a camera doorbell makes me really uncomfortable, like I'm being watched.
  • asdff 8mo ago
    I have a local one (reolink). Prompted by neighbors getting robbed unfortunately. Will this prevent crime? Maybe some but probably not all. But it would let me know if I have to file a stolen package claim or should wait on the package for a few more days. Plus it has been doubling as a trail camera for the local fauna I had no idea came by so frequently. It faces private property only as it is set up.
    • tehlike 8mo ago
      The local law enforcement will likely not have the time to chase individual small cases either...
      • repeekad 8mo ago
        Careful what you wish for, local cops have already abused cameras and license plate readers to arrest people just for driving by the location and looking similar to doorbell video, over package theft... https://youtu.be/37fp2n6p19Q https://youtu.be/37fp2n6p19Q
        • lifestyleguru 8mo ago
          In Poland some moron in surveillance center visually profiled a random guy as one wanted person (by jacket color), then police took the guy to the police station and beat him to death. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Igor_Stachowiak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Igor_Stachowiak
          • theodric 8mo ago
• lifestyleguru 8mo ago
  American surveillance is one thing. All over Europe people install Chinese IP cameras mostly from paranoic and imaginary reasons. Camera literally facing neighbour's windows and doors and their neighbour's own camera. Nobody understands that it's economically impossible to sell IP camera with a mobile app and cloud storage of video for 150 EUR. Their business model is not simply selling cameras. EDIT. I'm really confused how you concluded that this comment is anti European. Quit whatever drugs and social media if something like this is triggering your paranoia.
  • omnifischer 8mo ago
    All over Europe is generalisation. At least in France, Germany, Switzerland it is too much pain and paperwork to get any camera installed. If you are worried about chinese then seriously you cannot live.
    • pjmlp 8mo ago
      In theory, in practice you can get a random one bought from Temu, and unless some neighbour calls in the authorities, no one will know.
    • cybrox 8mo ago
      You are technically correct but also very wrong. Yes, it is a lot of pain to get the paperwork done and you have a high chance of being rejected without a good reason. I know dozens of people who run cheap, chinese IP cams recording public spaces directly to dubious cloud services here in Switzerland. You just don't ask. Work related: We sell solutions including CCTV and video-intercom and we have only recently started providing customers with stickers they can use to make those installations comply with regulations. Technically, it has been the responsibility of the customer installing the device, so us doing this is just nudging people towards compliance because nobody cares. I can guarantee you that there are tens of thousands of cameras here filming public ground and it is not prosecuted. In fact, someone at the office put one up a long time ago for a PTZ demo (not recording) that was not compliant and it took almost 10 years until we got ordered to take it down. Most of these are not recording, only recording situationally or only locally. Still not legal technically. However, ever since cheap cloud-connected doorbells have become available, they have definitely been installed here. They do not comply with regulations whatsoever and next to nothing is done about it.
• eknkc 8mo ago
  I predict 100 returns in total and then everybody forgets about this in a week. I'm not cheering for this outcome but it's the sad reality.
  • tokyobreakfast 8mo ago
    In their defense, Redditors returning a throwaway piece of electronics then posting about it is probably the biggest sense of accomplishment they'll get all month. It takes a special level of delusion to think you're pulling one over on the billion-dollar company who just paid millions to advertise this capability during the Super Bowl as if everyone didn't already know. Hasn't Ring been sharing video with law enforcement for years? Ignoring that zomg ICE is the Reddit cause du jour (these people live for this), did they just now figure out how cloud-connected cameras work? I fully expect these to all be replaced with generic cameras from Amazon full of security holes, that upload all video to CCP-controlled servers in China.
    • deleted 8mo ago
      [deleted]
    • lopis 8mo ago
      That's one reason why being in a Reddit bubble is dangerous. Reddit always seems to be boycotting something (including Reddit itself), but those boycotts rarely led anywhere. Then news websites pick up on Reddit as a source of news and the rest is echo effect.
      • gosub100 8mo ago
        Several years ago, there was the controversy about the guy who made Reddit Enhancement Suite getting his API access cut off. Everyone was on his side and I remember thinking "this guy could create his own reddit, he could literally steal all the users, similarly to how slashdot mass migration to reddit". Maybe he realized it and wasn't interested, but man that would have been an epic move, by using their teen angst and have a hundred million active users overnight.
    • 8mo ago
• CodeCompost 8mo ago
  Any good alternatives? Preferably one that stores images on a local docker instance running within my network.
  • jsumrall 8mo ago
    Unifi makes a doorbell and consumer (and commerical) security cameras which run and store data on a local device, but still reachable online with their app connecting directly to your device. I used their dream machine pro with a big HDD, but they're released a few other devices in the last few years which might be cheaper and use SSDs. And I think you could run the stack in docker. But if you want to hack it yourself, there's probably easier projects. If you want to spend a bit more but have everything more or less just work with nice hardware and apps, Ubiquity's Unifi system is really great for home security. Not to mention the wifi and other networking solutions they have.
  • tetris11 8mo ago
    Reolink Doorbell PoE, deny it access to the cloud if you want from the router, works well over LAN and can periodically FTP recordings anywhere you want on your local network, plus it has some really nice HomeAssistant integrations (last movement, last animal, last person, last doorbell)
  • classic959 8mo ago
    Oh yes - run Frigate on a mini PC or home server. It runs best in Docker. And it should work with any cameras that support RTSP and provide H.264 video. I'm not affiliated btw, but I found the instructions really useful - they walk you through an install of Debian 13 (small version of the OS with minimal components), set up low maintenance options (auto updates etc.), install Docker & Frigate, and set up your cameras for best performance depending on your needs. Keep everything local (if you want). I also integrate with HomeAssistant and expose that through a free CloudFlare Tunnel for access when away from home. CloudFlare tunnels by the way - these are a great solution to accessing home-network resources without punching holes / port-forwarding etc. because all the access is outward from the home network, then an authentication layer added by CloudFlare.
  • yabones 8mo ago
• tamimio 8mo ago
  I am just happy that the average person is now aware of the usual manipulation tactics, the ad was about “aww doggos!!” and yet no one bought it and back fired.
• tuzemec 8mo ago
  In related news, there's a recent scandal in Bulgaria that involves leaked footage from beauty salons and gynecological office appearing on porn sites. What could go wrong by installing cheap cameras in such places? https://www.euronews.com/2026/02/04/bulgaria-probes-secret-filming-of-women-in-beauty-salons-for-porn-sites https://www.euronews.com/2026/02/04/bulgaria-probes-secret-f... https://www.ocnal.com/2026/02/bulgaria-launches-criminal-probe-after.html https://www.ocnal.com/2026/02/bulgaria-launches-criminal-pro...
  • lifestyleguru 8mo ago
    Increasingly that's not only some accidents or data leaks. It's organized streaming with platforms and subscriptions. [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62rexy9y3no https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62rexy9y3no
• SwtCyber 8mo ago
  Home security devices sit in an incredibly sensitive place. If users feel like the scope of data use is drifting beyond what they originally agreed to, that's a big deal
• uyzstvqs 8mo ago
  [citation needed]
• stevage 8mo ago
  Yeah, "ring owners are returning their cameras". A few of them. Not enough to make a significant difference.
• Kim_Bruning 8mo ago
  Wyze has posted a parody response ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROFblZ_-9q4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROFblZ_-9q4
  • mobeigi 8mo ago
    The parody is amazing! They were quick to respond and made a great ad at a time a lot of people are moving away from Ring.
• assimpleaspossi 8mo ago
  >>Ring camera owners online claim People online claim all kinds of things. >>This Reddit user is alleging The story, in part, revolves around one post on Reddit. Isn't this a low effort article? Isn't this just a wild guess by the Redditor posted as fact?
• nindalf 8mo ago
  This news article boils down to "a few people on reddit did something", which is interesting. But we know reddit and HN are definitely not mainstream. Is this hurting Amazon? No, it is not. As long as they're honouring return requests freely, you know that the number of returns is within their accepted levels of distressed inventory. If it's getting into uncomfortable territory, they'll start rate limiting people by saying they're past the return window, or they should try again after a week. If Amazon's return policy changes, that'll be much more interesting to see. But chances are, people forget about this in a month and their sales are unaffected. This may go the way of #deleteUber, #deleteFacebook and similar boycott campaigns - minor blips at best.
  • zetanor 8mo ago
    I'd agree on /r/FlockSurveillance/ specifically, but if Reddit itself does not qualify as "mainstream", then what does? Just FANG?
    • philipallstar 8mo ago
      Facebook alone is far more mainstream than Reddit, I would say. Thousands of times more.
      • Forgeties79 8mo ago
        Roughly 6x the users and 7x the traffic. “Thousands” is a bit dramatic. Reddit is a massively popular site now, pretty sure it’s among the top 10 most visited in the world.
        • philipallstar 8mo ago
          It's the demographics I mean, not the numbers.
          • Forgeties79 8mo ago
            I don’t entirely disagree with that but with that kind of traffic/userbase clearly it’s far more mainstream than is being implied. Also, young people are definitely not getting on Facebook, which impacts how “mainstream” we can consider it. Reddit skews a fair bit younger than FB.
• zzzeek 8mo ago
  I think people should return these cameras, this is good, but, is this really a trend or is MSN just reporting on a reddit sub with a few thousand people? So interesting a company owned by Microsoft would want to publicize people unsatisfied with a competitor...
• mosburger 8mo ago
  I didn't return mine, I just threw it in the trash and replaced it with a local-only no-cloud Eufy. It works great.
  • Panda4 8mo ago
    So you paid them money and got zero value? how is that better?
• josefritzishere 8mo ago
  This is the right thing to do. When you want security, you have to first decide what the threat is. It seems that consumers are discovering that Corporate Surveillance is a threat, and they are right.
• ChrisArchitect 8mo ago
  Related: Super Bowl Ad for Ring Cameras Touted AI Surveillance Network https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46950915 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46950915 Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46996999 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46996999
• ProllyInfamous 8mo ago
  I am currently in talks with a neighbor about removing his Ring camera (which points towards my front door / travels)... or at least angling it differently.
• anonymousiam 8mo ago
  I had a few Ring doorbells from 2019-2024. I ditched them both because I saw the quality of the video degrade slowly over that time, probably in an effort to reduce cloud storage costs. The reliability of the motion detection also decreased over the same period. The final straw was when somebody ripped one of the Ring Elite (wired) doorbells off the outside wall. (This was during a Teamsters labor action against Amazon, but I cannot prove any relationship.) There was never a motion alert, and no footage of the culprit was recorded. The final frame had something in it that may have been a person, but it was impossible to be sure. Having one of my Rings stolen was actually a blessing. I had the police come and take a report, and submitted a claim to Ring. They sent a free replacement, which I promptly listed on eBay, along with the other used one. So after paying $5/month times two doorbells for five years, I went looking for something better. I settled on Reolink. Everything about them is better. The video quality is far superior, the motion detection is outstanding (and very customizable). Also, the Reolink doorbells cost less than a third of what the Ring Elites cost. They offer optional cloud storage for about the same price as Ring, but you can also opt for free local storage (using a microSD card in the doorbell). I've got both doorbells set up with 256GB microSD cards, and have them both streaming RTSP to my NAS/NVR, which is something the Ring will never be able to do. Also, Reolink has made no announcements about partnering with law enforcement, or anyone else. I suppose they might grant access to their cloud, but I doubt they would directly access the microSD cards, and certainly would be unable to access my NVR. I prefer to have some control over my own data, and the Reolink doorbells give me that, while being better and cheaper at what they do. The one feature the Rings had which was not easily replaceable was smart home integration with motion detection, but I was able to implement that using edgebridge, my NAS/NVR, and some webhooks. My workaround is actually superior to what Ring offered because it's all local, and will continue to function even during an Internet outage. https://github.com/toddaustin07/edgebridge https://github.com/toddaustin07/edgebridge https://github.com/toddaustin07/lanmotion https://github.com/toddaustin07/lanmotion