Amazon’s Ring rolls out controversial, AI-powered facial recognition feature to video doorbells

Amazon has introduced a new AI-powered facial recognition feature called “Familiar Faces” for its Ring video doorbells in the United States. This feature allows users to create a catalog of up to 50 faces—such as family, friends, neighbors, and delivery personnel—and receive personalized notifications when these individuals approach their door. Users must opt in to enable the feature and can manage face labels, edit or delete them, and control alerts on a per-face basis. Amazon asserts that face data is encrypted, unnamed faces are deleted after 30 days, and biometric data is processed in the cloud without being used to train AI models. Despite these privacy assurances, the rollout has sparked significant concerns from consumer protection groups and privacy advocates. Amazon’s history of sharing Ring footage with law enforcement, past security lapses exposing user data, and partnerships with surveillance technology firms have fueled skepticism about the safety and ethical implications of the feature. Critics warn that the system’s potential for misuse and data exposure warrants caution, recommending users avoid