Ring, one of the nation’s largest home security companies, engaged the Policing Project at New York University School of Law in civil rights and civil liberties audit, leading to substantial changes.
December 16, 2021, New York: The Policing Project at New York University School of Law today released the final report of its civil rights and civil liberties audit of Ring’s Neighbors app and its work with law enforcement. Ring, one of the nation’s largest home security companies, approached the Policing Project in 2020, and this report represents the culmination of nearly two years of work to examine the potential risks of Ring’s products and services. As a result of the audit, Ring made more than 100 changes spanning products, policies, and legal processes.
“Technology continues to transform both privacy and policing, too often resulting in deep harm to people of color and everyone traditionally subject to over policing,” said Policing Project Executive Director Farhang Heydari, the lead auditor. “Companies like Ring have an important role to play in shaping how private surveillance impacts both public safety and individuals’ civil rights. Ring’s willingness to open itself up to an outside audit is an example others should follow.”
Ring sells a range of smart home devices, including lights, alarm systems, cameras, and its well-known video doorbell. Ring also offers a free app called Neighbors, which allows users to share and receive information about local crime and safety issues with others in their neighborhood, including local police, fire departments, and other official sources.
The Policing Project’s audit examined how police use Ring’s products and services, paying particular attention to Neighbors Public Safety Service (“NPSS”), a service which allows police and fire departments to post local crime and safety information and to make requests for video and other information as part of an active investigation.
The audit focused on police use of Ring products and services, identifying several categories of potential harm, including the risks that police use could contribute to overpolicing, exacerbate racial disparities, and undermine accountability. Throughout this process and in response to the audit’s recommendations, Ring implemented more than 100 changes to its policies and practices. Some of the more notable changes include.
Making all police requests for information and video on NPSS public and including those requests on the agency’s public profile.
Investing resources in recruiting non-police government agencies with a specific emphasis on community safety onto NPSS.
Committing to not onboard immigration and federal law enforcement agencies because these agencies are not democratically accountable to their local communities.
Implementing design and moderation changes to mitigate bias, including procedures to suspend or ban Neighbors users with a history of posting problematic content.
“Ring made profound changes as part of our audit,” said Heydari. “Although there is still work to be done, there is no question that the company has materially changed its relationship with law enforcement.”
But Ring is only one player in a growing market for privately owned surveillance devices — also known as “lateral surveillance.” The audit report explains that although police increasingly rely on private surveillance, the law has not kept pace. From advanced cameras to license plate readers, ordinary individuals have access to sophisticated surveillance tools to an extent that would have been unimaginable only years ago. This may well have benefits, but it also has real costs. “Lateral surveillance is not going away,” added Max Isaacs, an attorney at the Policing Project and co-author of the report. “It is incumbent upon policymakers to enact sensible laws addressing whether and under what conditions police should have access to commercialized private surveillance. And, crucially, these laws must protect the civil rights of marginalized populations who already bear the brunt of overpolicing.”
As described in the report, the Policing Project’s work on policing technologies aims to promote democratically-accountable legislative frameworks. One aspect of these efforts is auditing technology companies. These audits are not meant as endorsement or seal of approval of any sort. Rather, the audits have two overarching goals: First, to make policing technologies more transparent. Transparency is the foundation of democratic governance, and its absence in many areas of policing stands in the way of public awareness that might motivate substantive regulation. Second, the audits seek to influence vendors to design their products in a way that reduces civil rights and civil liberties harms. This applies not just for the immediate company being audited, but for any other vendors in that space.
To read the full report, please visit www.policingproject.org/ring.