Reached for remark, Markey’s workplace directed WIRED to the senator’s assertion posted to X, wherein he referred to as the shuttering of the RFA software “good.”

“I’ve been sounding the alarm for years on Amazon Ring’s privacy and security failures,” Markey added. “We cannot allow Americans’ home security systems to become surveillance tools for law enforcement. We have to prevent Big Tech’s web of surveillance systems from growing.”

Evan Greer, director of civil liberties advocacy group Fight for the Future and a vocal critic of Ring, referred to as the corporate’s determination at the moment an “unequivocal victory” for individuals who have campaigned towards the corporate’s surveillance community, however added of their assertion that the transfer “only scratches the surface of addressing the harm done by Ring’s dystopian business model.”

“We need laws. Local, state, and federal elected officials should ban these types of private surveillance partnerships entirely, and should impose strict limits on where homeowners and businesses can place cameras to ensure they are not violating their neighbors’ privacy and rights,” Greer mentioned.

Ring’s Yarger tells WIRED that the choice to close down the RFA software was “purely internal” and cited that the corporate lately employed a brand new CEO, Liz Hamren, who took over in March 2023. “As you may know, we have a new Ring CEO and leader,” Yarger says. “As we look to the future of Neighbors, we’re focusing our resources on delivering new product and app experiences that we feel are a better fit with Ring’s vision and can better empower our customers to connect with each other, and stay informed by local government and public safety agencies.”

This shift, based on the corporate’s announcement at the moment, consists of the launch of “Ring Moments,” which inspires customers to share content material that conjures up “joy and hope,” reminiscent of a video of a bear in a swimming pool or neighbors serving to one another shovel snow.

For Ring customers nonetheless involved about police overreach, EFF’s Guariglia notes that there are a number of actions you’ll be able to take, together with enabling end-to-end encryption in your gadgets. “Be mindful of what your camera is pointed at and what video and audio it may collect from yourself, your family, and your neighbors,” he tells WIRED. “If possible, try to clear your camera’s recorded video/audio as often as is feasible. And most importantly, if police come and ask for your footage, request that they get a warrant.”