Amazons Ring axes deal with police tech provider after heated Super Bowl ad backlash: surveillance state

Amazon’s Ring says it is cancelling its video doorbell partnership with police tech provider Flock Safety – following severe backlash over a Super Bowl ad that depicted a “surveillance state,” in the eyes of some critics.The commercial touted the ability of Ring doorbells to reunite families with their lost dogs using a feature called “search party.” Owners can upload images of their lost pets to the app, which will launch the feature and use AI to scan neighborhood Ring cameras for matching images.“Be a hero in your neighborhood,” a voicover intones as a young girl embraces her runaway golden retriever.Outraged social media users blasted the spot, comparing the scenario to a “surveillance state” and George Orwell’s “1984” as they questioned whether the technology would also be used to identify humans.In October, Amazon’s Ring revealed it was partnering with Flock Safety, a security software firm that sells license plate-scanning tech to law enforcement, to help fulfill “community requests.” Unlike “search party,” which is automatically enabled and requires users to opt out, “community requests” seek out voluntary participation from Ring owners to send video footage to public agencies during active investigations.Flock has faced backlash for allegedly sharing its license plate data with ICE agents to aid in the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, according to 404 Media.Flock denied this report, telling The Post it has no relationship with any Homeland Security agencies.“That ring [sic] camera commercial was probably the scariest thing.

You ain’t realize Amazon don’t care about helping you find a lost dog,” a user wrote on X after the Super Bowl ad aired.“They are gunna [sic] use that to track people and help ice [sic].

F–k that and f–k Amazon.”“We created Big Brother in parentheses for dogs.I know what you’re thinking – no, it’s not the same thing as the book,” Spencer Earl, a comedian a...