Amazon is once again in legal hot water over its Ring doorbell cameras — and for a company with a growing list of privacy controversies, this latest lawsuit may be the most explosive yet.
A Virginia resident, Charles Sigwalt, has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Seattle, claiming that Ring's AI-powered 'Familiar Faces' feature collected and stored facial recognition data from people passing by Ring-equipped homes without their knowledge or consent.
The suit seeks at least $5 million in damages on behalf of the class. It follows a $5.8 million FTC settlement in 2023 over employee spying allegations, and long-running criticism over Ring's law enforcement data-sharing practices.
What is the 'Familiar Faces' feature?
Ring's optional 'Familiar Faces' feature uses artificial intelligence to identify and remember individuals who appear on camera, sending notifications that include specific names when recognized people approach a property.
While the feature is opt-in for Ring device owners, the lawsuit argues that the people being identified and stored in the system: passers-by, neighbors, delivery workers, etc, never agreed to be part of it.
According to the suit, those captured "did not consent to have their privacy rights violated at the entrance way."
What does the lawsuit claim?
The suit was filed by Charles Sigwalt, a Virginia resident who says he was among those captured by the feature without his consent. First reported by the Economic Times, the lawsuit was filed on Monday and alleges that "millions of other Americans passed by a Ring security camera and unknowingly had their facial recognition information collected."
Sigwalt states that Amazon's conduct "represents a profound privacy failure for millions of people who are now being tracked by Amazon." At the time of writing, Amazon has declined to comment.
The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages for the class, with additional unspecified damages for all affected.
What happens next?
The case is currently before federal court in Seattle. No trial date has been set, and Amazon has not yet responded publicly to the allegations.
Given Ring's history of privacy settlements, the outcome of this lawsuit will be closely watched by both privacy advocates and the millions of households that use Ring devices across the U.S. We'll keep you updated as the case develops.
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