Bloomberg reports that Ring, a manufacturer specializing in surveillance solutions and acquired by Amazon in 2018, has taken one step further in its alliance with the various police services in the United States. They can now request video footage recorded by Ring cameras, directly from users through the app neighbours.

Specifically, law enforcement officials who want Ring users to collaborate in certain criminal investigations will have to make their requests via this app. Users will then be able to decide whether or not to send the desired images.

Ring, an investigative tool for law enforcement?

"we believe that transparency and accountability are crucial for better, safer communities," Ring said on his blog. The manufacturer tries to redeem an image by relying on transparency in his dealings with various North American law enforcement agencies. This "improvement" gives users more control over access to their own images of cameras or connected bells, since they can refuse as well as access to police requests.

However, as TechCrunch points out, if the user refuses to send these images, law enforcement will still be able to seek a court order to retrieve the videos.

To date, Ring has reportedly been working with more than 2,000 police services in the United States, and only two states (Montana and Wyoming) are said to be involved, and this close link allows law enforcement to facilitate their criminal investigations.? For example, according to Ring's data, 1900 requests for images had already been made to the manufacturer, including subpoenas and search warrants, even if the user refused to disclose his images.

We already knew Ring was close to law enforcement in the United States. In 2019, the manufacturer was suspected of providing thermal maps, thus allowing the police to geolocalize the users of the cameras. Ring then denied any involvement and assured that the police had not been able to access the cards.