What Dealers Need to Know About Amazon Ring and Neighbors
Dealers who sell video surveillance cameras may be getting questions from customers and potential customers about Ring and Neighbors -- two interrelated security offerings from Amazon that are backed by the internet giant’s considerable marketing clout. While Ring is comparable to doorbell cameras that you may already be selling, Neighbors is an app that can be used with or without Ring with the goal of enhancing neighborhood security. The app has generated some controversy and it’s a topic that dealers will want to be familiar with so they can answer customers’ and potential customers’ questions.
Our goal in this blog post is to familiarize dealers with Ring and Neighbors, not to take sides on the controversy that the offerings have generated.
Ring and Neighbors Basics
Ring, as we said, is a video doorbell camera designed to enable homeowners to see who is at their front door or who has been on their porch to, perhaps, leave a package – or steal one left for the homeowner. Homeowners download a smartphone app to set up the video doorbell camera – and that app has another capability built in known as Neighbors.
Ring owners don’t have to use Neighbors, but if they do, they gain the ability to share security-related information with other people in the neighborhood, including images from Ring cameras if the owner chooses to share those images. It works something like social media offerings such as Facebook or Instagram but it is intended only for security-related content.
People don’t have to own a Ring video camera to use Neighbors. They can download the Neighbors app for free and participate in neighborhood groups.
The app has generated controversy on several fronts. One concern is that it could contribute to racial profiling. Amazon monitors what people share and can remove inappropriate content, but some question how effective such a process can be.
Another concern is that Neighbors could violate the privacy of people caught on video camera whose images might be shared without their knowledge. Not all images captured or shared may depict illegal activity. Potentially a person could simply be walking by one of the cameras.
A third concern is that Amazon in some cases has donated Ring cameras to police departments for distribution to people who live in the areas for which the police are responsible.
Some parties expressed concern that police might have access to video images from Ring cameras that they gave away, but as a New York Times article explains, police must ask homeowners for permission before they can obtain any such images. Potentially a police department could circumvent the homeowner by subpoenaing images from Amazon, but according to sources quoted in the Times article, it’s not easy for police to obtain such subpoenas.
Perhaps a more valid concern about the police giveaways of Ring cameras is that it ultimately may generate revenue for Amazon, as Ring users must pay subscription fees to use certain services, such as cloud recording from their cameras.
We hope this basic information about Ring and Neighbors will be useful to you.
Security Equipment Supply is a leading wholesale alarm equipment distributor in the U.S. with 37 years of experience serving security dealers. We carry a full line of video surveillance equipment, which you can find on our website at sesonline.com. Go to the “Brands” tab and then select “Video Surveillance” to see our offerings.
Our knowledgeable salespeople are also on hand to help you with your video surveillance needs.