The “Ring Video Doorbell” from Amazon is a type of home surveillance system. A video doorbell, combined with a motion sensor, with which you can use your cell phone or tablet to see who is in front of your apartment door or what is happening in front of it from anywhere .
Cooperation with authorities in the USA
It has long been known that there is collaboration between Amazon and dozens of police departments in the USA. This includes the police being able to access Ring video recordings from private users via a special portal, as Motherboard reported in July 2019.
In the summer of this year it became clear that this was happening even without a prior court order. netzpolitik.org refers to a letter from Amazon to US Senator Edward Markey, which was published The Intercept
Authorities in Germany also have access
The fact that this practice is also handled in the same way in Germany has now been confirmed by Amazon upon request from the Handelsblatt. The data would then be passed on “if law enforcement can prove an imminent threat and time is of the essence,” explains an Amazon spokesman, reports Handelsblatt . However, this also happens without a prior court order, which is now bringing data protection officers into action.
Jens Zimmermann, SPD digital politician, criticizes the handling of personal data. This also affects people who approach a house or ring the bell at a house that has a Ring Doorbell attached. The video recordings are stored on Amazon servers. What happens with it is unclear to the users as well as the people standing in front of their doors.
Stefan Brink, data protection officer for the state of Baden-Württemberg, goes one step further and is considering imposing fines on Amazon. In his opinion, the fact that personal data is released without the consent of customers violates the rights of these customers.
“Customers affected by the unauthorized release of their data can complain to the data protection supervisory authority about companies that are threatened with bans, fines and liability for damages,” explains Brink to the Handelsblatt.
Source: Handelsblatt , chip.de , inside-digital , Motherboard , The Intercept
Related: Amazon buys iRobot: Sniffing vacuum cleaner?
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