Your Ring doorbells can be hacked. Here's how to prevent it
The short version: CBS 8 San Diego reports Birdland residents' Ring cameras got hacked, a reminder that the private surveillance webs blanketing our neighborhoods are only as secure as their weakest password.
Our Take
Credit to CBS 8 San Diego for digging into this one. A hacked Ring doorbell in someone's own driveway sounds like a personal tech problem, but zoom out and it's a preview of the bigger surveillance mess we cover every day. Millions of these cameras, plus Flock Safety's ALPR network, are stitching together a passive, always-on record of who comes and goes on ordinary streets. When that infrastructure can be compromised by an outsider, the danger isn't just embarrassment — it's a stranger watching your kids walk to the bus stop, or worse, using footage to plan a break-in while you're away.
What CBS 8 is describing is a home-security failure, but it points to a structural truth: the more cameras we bolt onto porches, streetlights, and intersections, the bigger the attack surface for anyone who wants to abuse that data, whether it's a hacker, a stalker, or a government agency with a subpoena and no warrant. Flock's ALPR cameras already sit in a legal gray zone with weak oversight in most towns; a private doorbell getting hijacked should make people ask harder questions about who else can access the footage from the automated license plate readers parked at the end of their block.
If you want to see how much of this infrastructure already exists near you, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on unaccountable surveillance in your city, our take-action page has concrete next steps.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of CBS 8 San Diego, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.