Sounds interesting, right?
It is interesting, but it’s also proving to be somewhat controversial.
What Is Ring Nation?
Ring Nation is surveillance footage meets reality TV.
Think America’s Funniest Home Videos, but updated for the 21st Century.
The series features clips such as neighbors saving neighbors, marriage proposals, military reunions, and silly animals.
Violation of Privacy
The activists claim that the show will promote a product that promotes privacy violations.
Police Access to Neighbors App
Ring formerly had partnerships with over 2,000 police departments across the US.
Under the program, Ring offered free cameras to police in exchange for promoting Ring in their jurisdictions.
However, that is no longer the case, with Ring having stopped donating to law enforcement in 2019.
The coalition of activists claims that Ring gives police backdoor access to its Neighbors app via a special portal.
The coalition says that this access is open to abuse, and Ring Nation seeks to normalize it.
Risks to Vulnerable Groups
The coalition argues that Ring profits from racial profiling.
Should Amazon Cancel Ring Nation?
That sounds reasonable enough.
However, the activists are not saying the show will violate people’s privacy.
Rather, they say the show will promote Ring.
This is a strong argument, one this writer absolutely agrees with.
Indeed, there are severalreasons not to install Ring doorbells.
However, we also think it’s a losing argument.
Just like Facebook and social media in general, Ring users are in danger of having their privacy violated.
