Ring Stops Working With Flock Over Privacy Concerns

Ring has terminated a brief collaboration with the surveillance company Flock, which had planned to allow home‑security cameras to share footage with police. The decision followed a review that found the integration would require far more effort than anticipated, and no customer videos were ever transmitted to Flock.

No Connection to “Search Party”

The split is unrelated to Ring’s “Search Party” feature, highlighted in a recent Super Bowl advertisement. That ad promoted a tool enabling owners to ask nearby cameras for help locating missing pets, and the feature remains active.

Flock’s Offer and Concerns

Flock had proposed linking its AI tools with Ring’s “Community Requests” program—a voluntary system where users can choose to share video clips with law‑enforcement agencies. Critics worry that Flock’s technology could provide data to immigration authorities, a claim the company denies.

Continuing Partnerships

Despite ending its deal with Flock, Ring remains connected to Axon, a police‑tech firm. Through Axon, police can request footage from Ring users, and the company also works with federal agencies such as Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.

Public Reaction

The controversy intensified when people began removing Ring cameras after seeing the ad, sparking debate over acceptable levels of surveillance in everyday life. While some praise the pet‑search feature for returning lost dogs—Ring cites more than one dog a day, including a husky named Lainey found in Arizona—others fear it could signal a broader move toward police surveillance.

Ring stresses that users control what is shared and that the “Search Party” feature does not use AI to identify owners.

Lesson Learned

The ending of the Flock partnership underscores how swiftly tech companies must adapt when privacy concerns rise and public trust is at stake.