15+ civil rights teams name on Shopper Studies, CNET, different tech overview websites to droop suggestions of Amazon Ring cameras – YubaNet

December 8, 2020 – Today a coalition of more than 15 consumer, privacy and civil rights organizations launched a new campaign. RescindRing.com. Led by Fight for the Future, Rescind Ring is requesting technical reviews to suspend or suspend the recommendation of Amazon Ring doorbell cameras.

The groups – including Fight for the future, Action Center for Race and Economy (ACRE), Athena Coalition, Constitutional Alliance, Demand Progress, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Kairos Action, Media Alliance, Media Justice, MPower Change, New York Communities for Change, Oakland Initiative for Data Protection, Open Media and Information Company (Open MIC), Presente, Secure Justice, Surveillance Technology Surveillance Project (STOP) and United Church of Christ, OC Inc.–Work product auditors must consider the overall impact a product has on society as a whole and its value for consumers in their assessment. Amazon ring cameras threaten both society and consumers.

Because of their poor security, consumers are vulnerable to hacks and leaks, as seen last year. Their police partnerships call into question fundamental freedoms, violate sacred data protection rights and, together with the Neighbors app, promote the creation of racial profiles and the increasing criminalization of blacks and browns. This racial bias is particularly worrying when you consider that roughly half of the police forces working with Amazon “are responsible for more than a third of the deadly police encounters across the country”.

And recently, some ring doorbell cameras caught fire, causing Amazon to recall over 350,000 doorbell cameras. This is the latest example of the tech giant moving too fast and recklessly with security to flood our communities with cameras.

The adverse outcome of ring devices and partnerships for families, communities, and democracy makes them too unsafe for referrals.

“Tech blogs can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and then rate products that aggravate racism with five stars. Amazon ring cameras are dangerous not only to the people who buy them, but also to their neighbors, their communities and society at large, ”he said Evan Greer (she / she) Deputy Director of Fight for the Future“Amazon’s monopoly power and the aggressive pursuit of surveillance partnerships with the police set them apart from their competitors. Ignoring the broader societal impact of a product will not make your review “neutral” but rather reckless and incomplete. For example, product review websites would not recommend stalkerware apps used by abusers to track their spouses. You should also not recommend harmful products like Ring. “

Ken Mickles, Chief Technical Officer at Fight for the Future, added, “Aside from the obvious privacy issues, Ring has a terrible track record of security, even for the users who buy it. High profile incidents where ring cameras were hacked and used to spy on children forced the company to make some improvements. However, from a technical standpoint, filling your home with internet-connected devices that can constantly watch and listen is just a bad idea. I would never trust any of these devices on my doorstep or around my kids. Review sites compromise their credibility by continuing to recommend these products. Oh, and sometimes they catch fire too? “

The campaign targets CNET, Consumer Reports, Gizmodo, Tom’s Guide, TechRadar, and Digital Trends to get the best ring recommendations in the category made over the past year. Wirecutter, another target, suspended its ring inspection last December but is currently reviewing the camera for a possible reversal of the suspension. The groups plan to mobilize thousands of supporters to have these sites withdraw their endorsement and update relevant guides before the holidays.

Greer continues“We know these recommendations play a crucial role in purchasing decisions people make on vacation. It is important that reviewers maintain their commitment to consumers and public confidence in their recommendations by withdrawing or suspending their ring recommendation. In all honesty, that should have happened. Over the summer, a man was killed by sheriffs in a ring incident. How many people must be imprisoned or killed before technical appraisers realize that Ring is not safe for anyone? “

www.fightforthefuture.org