is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
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The most striking thing about Ring’s statement that it had parted ways with Flock Safety is what the home security company didn’t say. There was no mention of the public backlash around ties to ICE, or any promise to address users’ concerns about the company’s relationships with law enforcement.
In an increasingly authoritarian political climate, the threat of mass surveillance fueled by AI-powered cameras is what many people fear. Yet Ring’s statement made no attempt to address this. Instead, the company claims it canceled Flock’s integration with its Community Requests tool because it would “require significantly more time and resources than anticipated.”
Sure.
It’s clear to everyone that the Amazon-owned company caved to public pressure. Sentiment across social media and news outlets following the airing of Ring’s Search Party Super Bowl ad skewed almost 50 percent negative, according to research by Peakmetrics. People are not happy with the company, and the move was an obvious attempt to claw back some goodwill.
The backdown must have been particularly galling for founder and VP Jamie Siminoff, who has consistently maintained that Ring’s products are designed to help prevent and fight crime.
This is not a new approach for the company. While public opinion on law enforcement has shifted significantly since his departure from Ring in 2023 and his return last year, Siminoff still strongly believes that the combination of AI, cameras, and police can make neighborhoods safer.
While Ring has parted ways with Flock, its Community Requests tool hasn’t changed. It’s still very much active, thanks to a partnership with Axon, a similar law-enforcement technology company best known for making Tasers.
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