Ring partners with Flock to let police request Ring camera video

Amazon-owned home security company Ring this week announced a partnership with Flock Safety that will allow local law enforcement agencies using Flock’s evidence platforms to request video from Ring doorbell and security cameras through Ring’s Community Requests feature. The move, which Ring says will roll out to Flock customers in the coming months, links footage from millions of private cameras with a network of public-safety users and has renewed questions about privacy, surveillance and the use of AI in policing.

Under the announced arrangement, authorized public-safety agencies that use Flock’s FlockOS or Nova platforms can post a Community Request specifying an exact location, a timeframe, a unique investigation code and details about the incident. Ring said those requests are then delivered to users in the vicinity through the Neighbors app; users receive a notification and retain full control over whether to select and upload individual videos. Ring described Community Requests as "a completely voluntary tool for empowering our communities to play a role in public safety, as well as an important aspect of its mission of making communities safer." Users may also opt out...