Ring Rolls Out AI Facial Recognition to US Doorbell Users

Amazon's Ring has begun rolling out its AI-powered facial recognition feature, known as Familiar Faces, to video doorbell users across the United States, following an announcement in September. The update aims to provide personalized notifications for visitors, but it has reignited debates over privacy and surveillance in smart home devices.

The feature allows Ring owners to build a private catalog of up to 50 faces, which can include family members, friends, neighbors, delivery drivers, or household staff. Users must manually enable the option in the app settings, as it remains disabled by default. To create the catalog, individuals tag faces captured in the device's Event History or through a new dedicated library within the app. Once labeled, the system compares approaching faces to the catalog and sends customized alerts, such as "Mom at Front Door," rather than generic motion detections. This personalization extends to the app's timeline and history, where named individuals appear accordingly. Users can edit labels, merge duplicate entries due to variations in lighting or angles, or delete faces at any time.

Ring emphasizes user control and security in its implementation....