2025 has seen a growing home security practice unheard of a few short months ago: Neighborhoods are using their security cameras and doorbells to track police activity in their area, like ICE raids in California, and share the information via apps like Ring Neighbors.
Law enforcement, which has grown accustomed to requesting home security videos for its own purposes, does not appear to be a fan of it used against their activities. Security companies walk a tightrope while deciding what to allow and what to block while following the latest laws and court orders. Owners, meanwhile, are worried about what this means for their privacy, safety, and freedom to use the tech they paid for.
I dug into the issue, asked Ring and Nextdoor where they stand on the subject and found the rules everyone should know about using security tech to track official activities this way. It's mostly good news, and it starts with what posts can stay up.
Rules about reporting law enforcement on apps like Ring Neighbors
Name streets and other nearby locations to help ensure your posts stay up. Tyler Lacoma/CNET
When I reached out to Ring about their Neighbors app policies regarding recent events and police raids (as well as Reddit reports about posts being taken down), they provided helpful information for their very specific policies.
The Ring spokesperson offered several useful details on what they ban, which includes general law enforcement presence. "So if you said ICE was spotted in Bell Gardens, it would be denied," their spokesperson said. Or posts asked, "Hey, is there any ICE activity in town?" wouldn't be allowed. Other posts get banned if they:
Explicitly obstruct law enforcement
Voice political opinions
Assume immigration status or other types of prejudice
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