<div id="readability-page-1"><div id="ArticleBody-InlineImage-107257009"><div><div><p>Ring security cameras are displayed on a shelf at a Target store on June 01, 2023 in Novato, California.</p><p>Justin Sullivan | Getty Images</p></div></div></div><div><p>Ring is terminating its partnership with police tech provider Flock Safety, the <span id="RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-1">Amazon<span><span id="-WatchlistDropdown"></span></span></span>-owned company announced Thursday.</p><p>The partnership between Flock and Ring came under scrutiny after the Amazon doorbell company ran an ad during the Super Bowl that touted a &#34;Search Party&#34; feature that uses AI to help locate lost pets. The Electronic Frontier Foundation called the feature a &#34;surveillance nightmare.&#34;  </p><p>Flock, meanwhile, operates a network of automated license plate readers, and sells access to that software to customers that include law enforcement agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.</p><p>Ring's decision to cancel its partnership with Flock comes as tech companies face growing pressure to reexamine their work with federal agencies. Earlier this week, Salesforce employees pressed CEO Marc Benioff to cancel 'ICE opportunities,&#34; CNBC reported. More than 900 Google employees also asked their company to divest itself from ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.</p><p>Privacy and civil liberties advocates called on Ring to drop its partnership with Flock. A protest calling on the e-commerce company to cut its ties with Flock, ICE and CBP is scheduled for Friday, outside of Amazon's Seattle headquarters. </p><p>&#34;Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated,&#34; Ring wrote in a blog post. &#34;As a result, we have made the joint decision to cancel the planned integration.&#34;</p></div><div><p>Amazon acquired Ring for $839 million in 2018. The home security company is primarily known for its connected doorbell devices, which can record footage and alert users to activity around their home or business via an app.</p><p>Ring has long sparked controversy about privacy due to its partnerships with police. In recent years, the company had adopted a softer image, positioning its devices as a tool to capture porch pirates and family-friendly hijinks. After founder Jamie Siminoff returned as CEO last year, the company has re-embraced its original mission of fighting crime. </p><p>The Amazon company announced its partnership with Flock last October, giving owners of its video doorbells the option to share footage with law enforcement agencies that use the startup's software to assist with their &#34;evidence collection and investigative work.&#34; </p><p>Flock's systems have been adopted by thousands of communities and law enforcement agencies across the country, and both ICE and CBP have increasingly accessed Flock's data as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.</p><p>Ring spokesperson Emma Daniels said in a statement that the Flock partnership was never active, and the companies never announced a date for it to go live. </p><p>&#34;No videos were ever shared between these services,&#34; Daniels said. </p><p>The news was earlier reported by The Verge.</p></div></div>

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<p>Amazon's Ring has canceled its partnership with Flock Safety amid backlash following a Super Bowl ad promoting a controversial AI feature for locating lost pets. Privacy advocates criticized the partnership due to Flock's ties with law enforcement agencies, including ICE. Ring stated that the integration would require more resources than anticipated. The decision reflects growing scrutiny on tech companies' collaborations with federal agencies. Ring's spokesperson clarified that the partnership was never active and no videos were shared.</p>

- Ring has announced the termination of its partnership with Flock Safety, a police tech provider, after facing criticism regarding privacy concerns related to their proposed integration.  
- This decision comes amidst increasing pressure on tech companies to reassess their collaborations with federal agencies, following protests and appeals from employee advocacy groups.  
- Ring emphasized that the partnership was never activated and that no videos were shared between the services, citing a need for more resources than initially anticipated for the integration.

Amazon's Ring cancels Flock partnership amid Super Bowl ad backlash