Ring, Amazon's home security subsidiary, is planning to expand its controversial AI-powered Search Party feature far beyond finding lost dogs. According to a leaked internal email obtained by 404 Media, founder Jamie Siminoff told employees last October that the technology could help "zero out crime in neighborhoods." The revelation comes weeks after Ring faced intense backlash over a Super Bowl ad that many viewers found disturbingly Orwellian, raising fresh questions about the boundaries of consumer surveillance technology.
Ring just showed its hand, and it's holding way more than lost puppy posters. The Amazon-owned doorbell camera company has been quietly positioning its Search Party feature as the foundation for neighborhood-wide crime surveillance, according to internal communications that leaked this week.
In an October email sent to all Ring employees, founder Jamie Siminoff didn't mince words about the company's ambitions. "You can now see a future where we are able to zero out crime in neighborhoods," he wrote, according to documents obtained by 404 Media. That's a far cry from the heartwarming "find your lost dog" narrative Ring pushed during its Super Bowl commercial just weeks ago.
The timing of the leak is particularly striking. Ring's February Super Bowl spot sparked immediate controversy, showing how Search Party's AI could trace a dog's movements across multiple Ring cameras in a neighborhood. Privacy advocates and regular viewers alike found the ad unsettling, with many pointing out the obvious implications of tracking technology that doesn't distinguish between pets and people.
Search Party works by letting Ring camera owners search their footage using natural language queries. Want to find "a red sedan" or "person in blue jacket"? The AI scans participating cameras in your neighborhood and surfaces relevant clips. Ring says it's opt-in and privacy-focused, but critics aren't buying it.
