The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) started giving out over $5 million in refunds to Amazon Ring customers on Tuesday, enforcing an agreement with the tech giant over allegations that Ring didn't safeguard customer privacy.
In a complaint in 2023, the FTC said that Ring let its employees and contractors access records from its security cameras inappropriately, potentially endangering the privacy of customers. Ring supposedly used this footage without permission to train algorithms and for other purposes.
The agency called these breaches “serious violations of users’ privacy.”
Amazon, the owner of Ring, settled the claims last year and agreed to pay $5.6 million in refunds to Ring customers. The company also settled another privacy complaint regarding its Alexa voice assistant for $25 million. The FTC said it will give refunds to over 115,000 customers who had certain Ring devices, including indoor cameras, through PayPal. The refunds reinforce public concerns about the privacy of Ring camera data. In January, the company announced that it would
stop sharing video with law enforcement after facing criticism from customers.
The FTC began giving out over $5 million in refunds to Amazon Ring customers on Tuesday, enforcing an agreement with the tech giant over allegations that Ring didn't safeguard customer privacy. In a complaint in 2023, the FTC said that Ring let its employees and contractors access records from its security cameras inappropriately, potentially endangering the privacy of customers. Ring supposedly used this footage without permission… no longer share video with law enforcement, following criticism from customers.
