Ring canceled its partnership with Flock Safety after weeks of public backlash over surveillance concerns. The company announced the cancellation in a statement published on Ring's blog, saying "Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated. We therefore made the joint decision to cancel the integration and continue with our current partners." The Flock partnership was announced in October 2025 as part of Ring's Community Requests program. Flock Safety operates surveillance camera networks used by law enforcement and has reportedly allowed ICE and other federal agencies to access footage. Over recent weeks, Ring users were encouraged to smash their cameras and some announced on social media they were throwing away their devices. The integration never went live, so no Ring customer videos were sent to Flock Safety.
Ring's Super Bowl ad for Search Party intensified the controversy. The ad showed dozens of Ring cameras in a neighborhood scanning streets for a lost dog. The feature uses AI to search footage from participating cameras when someone posts a missing pet alert. Search Party is on by default for Ring subscribers and can be initiated by anyone with access to the Ring Neighbors app, not just camera owners. The company recently launched Familiar Faces, a facial recognition feature that uses AI to recognize specific people and alert camera owners when those individuals appear. Ring says it's opt-in and designed to show alerts like "Mom at front door" instead of "Someone at front door." Combined with Search Party's neighborhood-wide scanning capability, critics worried Ring had assembled the infrastructure for mass surveillance.
Senator Ed Markey sent an open letter calling on Amazon to cancel the facial recognition feature. Ring spokesperson Yassi Yarger responded that Ring products are purpose-driven tech, not tools for mass surveillance. Ring's partnerships with law enforcement provided context for the backlash. Community Requests replaced Ring's controversial Requests for Assistance program, which consumer advocacy groups criticized for allowing video to be provided to police without a warrant. The new program still allows police to request footage from users during active investigations, but requires law enforcement agencies to partner with third-party evidence management systems like Flock or Axon.
Ring justified Community Requests by citing the Brown University shooting in December 2025. Providence Police put out a Community Request and 7 neighbors responded with 168 videos. Ring claims one video identified a witness, helping police solve the case. Axon was the first partner Ring announced for Community Requests. Axon makes Tasers, police body cameras, and evidence management software. Ring says the Axon partnership is unaffected by the Flock cancellation and no other integrations are currently being explored.
A leaked internal email obtained by 404 Media shows Ring's broader ambitions for Search Party. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff sent the email to all employees last October following Search Party's launch. Ring confirmed the email was authentic. Siminoff wrote "I believe that the foundation we created with Search Party, first for finding dogs, will end up becoming one of the most important pieces of tech and innovation to truly unlock the impact of our mission. You can now see a future where we are able to zero out crime in neighborhoods."
Ring marketed Search Party as a lost dog finder during the Super Bowl while Siminoff told employees internally it would zero out crime. The feature was designed for dogs and recently expanded to wildfires. Dogs and wildfires do not cause crime. Ring told The Verge that Search Party is not currently capable of searching for people and sharing footage is at the camera owner's discretion, except for legal requests. Ring spokesperson Emma Daniels said "We're focused on giving camera owners meaningful context about critical events in their neighborhoods. Across these features, sharing has always been the camera owner's choice."
Siminoff has repeatedly stated his belief that Ring cameras can eliminate neighborhood crime. He told The Verge last October that AI-powered cameras could cut crime by providing additional knowledge and creating alerts for anomalies rather than sending constant notifications. Ring already has AI-powered search tools that camera owners can use to search their own footage for people, pets, and vehicles. The company canceled its Flock partnership while maintaining its Axon partnership and keeping Community Requests active. The facial recognition feature remains available. Search Party stays on by default. The infrastructure Siminoff described in his internal email remains deployed across 30% of US households with Ring devices.
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FAQ
Why did Ring cancel the Flock partnership?
Ring faced weeks of public backlash over its connection to Flock Safety, which operates surveillance camera networks for law enforcement and has reportedly allowed ICE and federal agencies to access footage. Users threatened to smash cameras and threw away devices over the partnership.
What is Ring Search Party?
Search Party uses AI to search footage from participating Ring cameras when someone posts a missing pet alert. The feature is on by default for Ring subscribers and can be initiated by anyone with the Ring Neighbors app, not just camera owners.
What did the leaked Ring email say?
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff sent an internal email to employees stating Search Party's foundation "will end up becoming one of the most important pieces of tech to truly unlock the impact of our mission. You can now see a future where we are able to zero out crime in neighborhoods."
What is Ring Community Requests?
Community Requests allows police to request footage from Ring users during active investigations. It replaced the controversial Requests for Assistance program criticized for allowing video to be provided to police without a warrant. Law enforcement must now partner with third-party systems like Axon.
Is Ring still partnered with law enforcement companies?
Yes. Ring canceled its Flock Safety partnership but maintains its partnership with Axon, which makes Tasers, police body cameras, and evidence management software. Community Requests remains active and the facial recognition feature Familiar Faces is still available.