Posted on 11/20/2019 7:01:26 PM PST by Theoria
Police officers who download videos captured by homeowners Ring doorbell cameras can keep them forever and share them with whomever theyd like without providing evidence of a crime, the Amazon-owned firm told a lawmaker this month.
More than 600 police forces across the country have entered into partnerships with the camera giant, allowing them to quickly request and download video recorded by Rings motion-detecting, Internet-connected cameras inside and around Americans homes.
The company says that the videos can be a critical tool in helping law enforcement investigate crimes such as trespassing, burglary and package theft, and that homeowners are free to decline the requests. But some lawmakers and privacy advocates say the systems could empower more widespread police surveillance, fuel racial profiling and spark new neighborhood fears.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
What the police can get: Motion activated video, a once every 5 minutes snapshot.
What police can't get: answered rings, live video recordings initiated by the homeowner, any video or snapshots by non-subscribers.
As this is disclosed in the user agreement, I'm good with this system. Truthfully, it'll be a rare moment when this option is exercised as honestly, most departments don't have the technical expertise (or investigative time) to go through hundreds of hours of video and images.
“Until 18 months ago TONS of PDs thought they were perfectly entitled to go into driveways and frontyards to retrieve GPS trackers off of cars, or plant them, there, too.
They probably STILL do.”
They think if you found an unlabeled something on/in your car and you remove it (which any sane person would do) that is Theft, even worse if it stops working for any reason it is still theft which can be used to get a search warrant for anyplace you might have gone.
Buy Arlo Stock!
Hey at least for now the requests are voluntary.
Even more so. A lot more so.
Don't know about Ring, but I use Arlo cameras, and they are to record to an external hard drive that is attached to the base unit. So there are some systems that don't require cloud based service.
We have Skybell - not Ring. Better camera and no cozy relationship of turning over video at a moment’s notice. (AFAIK)
My neighbors across the street have one. I’m wondering if I should put cardboard cutouts circling on a model train loop with backlighting to keep it entertained in my front window.. I’m thinking Julie Newmar as Catwoman and Diana Rigg as Emma Peal. Or Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk, or Just hang a sheet and use the projector to play godzilla movies.
I ever find a tracker on my car it is either going to “accidentally” fall off on the freeway at 75 mph, getting crushed by following traffic.... Or I’m going to spend some quality time with Google maps and then a couple of hours following a carefully chosen course. When who-ever looks at my path on the map it is going to spell out something the moderators here on FR would rather I not say...
I’ve been considering buying one. I’ll look elsewhere now.
mail it to your friends and have them remail it repeatedly..
We lost ALL of our freedom a long time ago. Even going off grid is not full proof. 1984 is the new normal.
Why not rent a post office box?
My local post office allows me to receive packages using their street address, followed by Unit....(my post office box number is added after the word “Unit”).
I filled out a short form, and they also accept packages... and hold them for me...from UPS and Fed Ex.
You mean like in Hong Kong, dipstick?
How far out do they focus? Could your doorbell be co-opted to do surveillance work w/o your knowledge/permission?
Police in those communities can use Ring software to request up to 12 hours of video from anyone within half a square mile of a suspected crime scene, covering a 45-day time span, Huseman wrote. Police are required to include a case number for the crime they are investigating, but not any other details or evidence related to the crime or their request.
This is all on the up and up. I’m pretty sure I read about this in our founding document. What’s that thing called again? Oh yeah The Constitution of The United States. /s
A guy a work was showing me his Ring camera setup the other day. I had no idea that Amazon was involved. He did mention the cloud.
Guess what, if youre on Facebook youre already in the facial recognition system.
Guess what, if you have a drivers license or photo ID youre already in the facial recognition system. {fixed}
...until they change their terms of service, after you installed it
Kinda like utoob, or look me, or...
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