Senators Press Amazon For Answers On Ring's Sloppy Security Practices (theintercept.com) 12
New submitter BeerF writes: This past year has been chock full of uncomfortable revelations about Ring, the surveillance social network and home security hardware company acquired by Amazon for a reported $800 million, including reports of potentially disastrous internal security practices, an apparent disregard for user privacy, and wave after wave of detail on secret partnerships with local police. Today, in a letter addressed to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, five Democratic senators are asking for an explanation, citing potential threats to U.S. national security.
Much of the letter focuses on allegations that Ring's Ukrainian office, where it conducts much of its research and development operation, allowed employees across the company to access customer video data whether they had any real need to or not. In January, The Intercept reported that this loose security atmosphere at Ring meant "if [someone] knew a reporter or competitor's email address, [they] could view all their cameras," per one source, who also recalled Ring engineers casually spying on and "teasing each other about who they brought home" after dates. "If hackers or foreign agents were to gain access to this data," the letter states, "it would not only threaten the privacy and safety of the impacted Americans; it could also threaten U.S. national security."
Much of the letter focuses on allegations that Ring's Ukrainian office, where it conducts much of its research and development operation, allowed employees across the company to access customer video data whether they had any real need to or not. In January, The Intercept reported that this loose security atmosphere at Ring meant "if [someone] knew a reporter or competitor's email address, [they] could view all their cameras," per one source, who also recalled Ring engineers casually spying on and "teasing each other about who they brought home" after dates. "If hackers or foreign agents were to gain access to this data," the letter states, "it would not only threaten the privacy and safety of the impacted Americans; it could also threaten U.S. national security."
Cause... (Score:2)
Let me guess, (Score:2, Funny)
Re: Let me guess, (Score:3, Funny)
Ukrainian company? Do they have Hunter on their board?
Re: (Score:2)
Doorbell, maybe (Score:2)
The idea of a cloud-based video doorbell is barely palatable, I really don't understand why people would install this sort of crap into their home interiors though. Motion sensors and opening detectors, maybe. Video and audio devices that pump data out into the wild? Really? *boggle*
At least the doorbell is looking out into public space, and even then I'm not real hot on the audio data ....
Re: (Score:2)
There are times when it would be really convenient to be able to wave my hands properly and have the lights turn out. But not enough that I'd install a camera based setup. Something much lower fidelity and based around IR would be better. I don't know that it would be convenient enough that I'd be willing to wear a bracelet, though that would certainly make the system easier to design.
At one point I saw ads for a system that would respond that way to hand claps, but I haven't seen those ads in a long tim
Privacy? (Score:2)
Of course user
Re: (Score:2)
Good on 'ya. I do. Because no ring is no video. They have nothing I want (balanced against security) so I don't have it.