Ring says option for police to request footage from Neighbors app no longer exists
The short version: Ring killing the police-request button in its Neighbors app is a real win, but the underlying camera network — and easier pipelines like Flock's ALPR system — remain fully intact.
Our Take
Credit to CBS New York's Nick Caloway for flagging this one: Amazon's Ring has quietly ended the feature that let police departments send public requests for footage straight through the Neighbors app. For years, that button turned millions of private doorbell cameras into an informal, opt-in dragnet — no warrant required, just a friendly ask that plenty of homeowners couldn't say no to. Civil liberties groups have hammered this feature since it launched, so seeing it disappear counts as a genuine, if overdue, win.
But let's not pop the champagne too early. Ring still has partnerships with thousands of police agencies, footage can still be obtained through emergency requests or good old-fashioned subpoenas, and Amazon hasn't promised to stop cooperating with law enforcement altogether. Killing one clunky request tool doesn't dismantle the surveillance infrastructure — it just closes one door while several others stay wide open, including the automated license plate reader networks like Flock Safety that don't even need to ask permission because they're bolted to public roads, not front porches.
That's the pattern to watch: platforms trim the features that draw bad press while the actual data-sharing machinery hums along underneath. If you want to know what's watching your street right now, check the map, and if you want to push back on the cameras nobody voted for, head to take action.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of CBS New York, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.