Five Senators have sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos demanding answers about how the company protects the privacy of users of its network of Ring security cameras.Ring’s network of home security cameras was overseen by a Ukraine office, where employees were reportedly allowed to access the video data of any customer even if they didn’t need to, according to The Intercept.The senators said if hackers or foreign agents accessed Ring data it would “threaten U.S. national security.”Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.In a letter addressed to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, five US senators have asked for answers about how the company’s network of home security cameras, Ring, protects users’ security and privacy.The letter was spurred in part by a report by The Intercept earlier this year that found employees in Ring’s Ukraine office had access to any user videos, regardless of whether they needed to access those videos.”If hackers or foreign agents were to gain access to this data,” the Senators wrote, “it would not only threaten the privacy and safety of the impacted Americans; it could also threaten U.S. national security.”A Ring spokesperson did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.The letter was signed by Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Chris Coons of Delaware, and Ron Wyden of Oregon.In it, the senators pressed Bezos to clarify whether Ring ever deletes users’ video footage after a set amount of time, how many units Ring has sold in the US, and how Ring ensures video data is secure.The letter also asks for information about whether Ring intends to use facial recognition software in the future. Ring devices don’t currently do so, but Amazon sells its own facial recognition software, Rekognition, to third parties, including law enforcement.Ring has also drawn scrutiny for its partnerships with over 600 police departments across the US. In response to a letter from Markey earlier this month, Amazon disclosed that once police download Ring footage, they can keep the video forever and share it with anyone.Read the full text of the letter here.
Senators demand answers from Amazon about its Ring camera network – Business Insider
