"There are few things everyone can rally behind as much as finding a lost dog. But what if that mission is actually a workaround for mass surveillance? That's the question many people are asking following a Super Bowl commercial from Ring, Amazon's doorbell camera and home security brand. The 30-second video shows a series of missing dog posters and claims that 10 million pets go missing every year."
"Launched in November, Search Party takes a photo of the pet and taps into Ring cameras across the area. They can then use AI to identify the missing pet and send an alert. The ad claims that at least one dog a day has been found since the feature launched. It sounds like a happy ending, except that critics of Search Party see the ad's framing as a way to normalize widespread biometric identification and a loss of privacy."
Ring's Super Bowl ad promotes Search Party, a feature launched in November that uses a photo of a missing pet and scans local Ring cameras with AI to identify matches and send alerts. The ad claims at least one dog a day has been found since launch and cites 10 million pets missing annually. Critics contend the feature normalizes widespread biometric identification by turning private homes into surveillance outposts and enabling neighbors to act as informants. WeRateDogs' creator Matt Nelson says Ring's business model builds a mass surveillance network that could be used by ICE and other government agencies.
Read at Fast Company
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