Ring is removing the Request for Neighbor Assistance app, creating even more law enforcement assistance
Ring is almost done playing Robin to Police Batman.
For every funny Ring Video Doorbell video of a bear dancing in the snow or a mailman pirouetting to the tune of the Broadway show in his head, there are videos of people stealing packages, vandalizing houses or committing other petty crimes . The video footage collected by these popular front door cameras has been a potential crime-fighting bonanza for local law enforcement.
After launching in 2013, Ring (an Amazon company) added the free Neighbors app in 2017 as a place where Ring customers in a community could share details about local crime (like people stealing packages at the door). The platform also allows local law enforcement agencies to post public service updates and contact Ring owners directly to request videos of illegal activities taking place outside their homes. While it was a potentially powerful deterrent to crime, it was also seen as a tool potential issue of privacy and civil rights violation and Ring’s record of sharing customer videos with law enforcement without asking permission wasn’t exactly flawless.
Now, following the 2021 update that forced local law enforcement to post all calls for video in a public section of the Neighbors app under “Request for Assistance,” Ring has decided to end that feature as well.
Neighbors become even more neighbors
In other words, messages from law enforcement agencies should no longer appear in the Neighbors app describing a crime in your local Ring coverage area and then requesting videos related to the incident. Of course, Ring customers can still freely share videos with law enforcement and authorities if they wish.
In a release about the update Ring leader of Buren Eric Kuhn notices this “Fire and police departments can still use the Neighbors app to share helpful safety tips, updates and community events.” The platform will no longer be a place where you can request videos and exchange them with authorities.
Ring also appears to be pushing Neighbors beyond (or perhaps away from) the community’s safety roots and more toward the viral videos we share on TikTok. It’s adding a new Neighbors section called “Ring Moments,” which is definitely not about sharing crime and safety videos, and “Best of Ring,” which features videos curated by Ring.
Ring’s Neighbors will still, the company notes, be a place to share important information about safety-related events happening in your community, including floods, major storms and fires, but it will no longer be a major law enforcement source for information about fighting crime.