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Leaked Email Reveals Ring’s Broader ‘Search Party’ Plans Following Flock Safety Cancellation

The disclosure renews fears over wider neighborhood surveillance despite company assurances about limited scope.

Overview

  • Ring confirmed it has canceled a planned integration with Flock Safety, stating the integration never launched and no customer videos were shared.
  • An internal email from founder Jamie Siminoff, confirmed by the company, described Search Party as launched “first for finding dogs” and envisioned a path to “zero out crime in neighborhoods.”
  • Ring says Search Party is purpose-built for lost pets, does not process human biometrics or track people, and leaves any sharing decisions to camera owners.
  • Following a Super Bowl ad for Search Party, consumer backlash surged, with social data showing nearly 50% of conversations were negative versus 14% positive, and some users reported destroying devices or seeking refunds.
  • Critics warn Ring’s tools could be combined into broader surveillance, citing its facial-recognition Familiar Faces feature, its Community Requests channel for police, and concerns tied to Flock’s license-plate network, which ICE has reportedly accessed.