Privacy concerns over Ring doorbell cameras

Our Take

CBS News anchors and CNET's Alfred Ng were talking about Ring doorbells years ago, but the core problem hasn't gone anywhere — it's just gotten bigger. Ring normalized the idea that a private company can quietly build a residential surveillance network, hand footage to police on request, and let homeowners feel like they're just being 'smart' about safety. That same playbook is exactly how Flock Safety has sold ALPR cameras to HOAs, small towns, and police departments across the country.

The pattern is the same every time: a consumer-friendly product, a subscription model, a promise that it's only used for 'the bad guys,' and almost no public debate before the cameras go up. Ring at least required someone to install a camera on their own porch. Flock's plate readers get placed on public roads, logging every car that passes, whether you agreed to it or not — and that data can be shared across a growing web of agencies with little transparency.

If a doorbell camera story from CBS made you uneasy back then, it should make you even more uneasy now watching license plate readers spread with even less public input. Check our map to see what's already watching your street, and visit take action if you want to push back before it becomes permanent infrastructure in your town.