"Ring’s privacy failures led to spying and harassment through home security cameras", 31 May 2023

Before the days of internet-connected devices, the worst that could come from a ring of your doorbell was often an unexpected sales pitch, or neighborhood pranksters ringing and running. But as video doorbells become ubiquitous, a different kind of trouble could come knocking: people spying on you or hacking into your private videos.

That was the case with the home security company, Ring. The FTC says Ring’s poor privacy and lax security let employees spy on customers through their cameras, including those in their bedrooms or bathrooms, and made customers' videos, including videos of kids, vulnerable to online attackers. Hackers exploited those vulnerabilities and harassed, insulted, and propositioned children and teens through their Ring cameras. Some hackers even live streamed customers’ videos.

In a settlement, Ring agreed to establish a privacy and security program and delete the videos it shouldn’t have — in addition to paying $5.8 million to affected customers. For more on the settlement, see the FTC’s business blog.