Thread by @privacyint

1 - @EFF revealed today how the LAPD have been requesting Ring doorbell cameras footage of Black Lives Matter protests (eff.org/deeplinks/2021…). Here is a short thread on why this is part of a worrying bigger picture.

1.1 - Over 2,000 public safety agencies have signed formal partnerships with Ring worldwide. The partnerships allow police to use a law-enforcement portal to canvass local residents for footage without warrants.
privacyinternational.org/long-read/3971…

1.2 - Warrants exist to protect us. Law enforcement needs to justify access on reasonable suspicion.

1.3 - Normalising bulk footage requests from people without warrants is dangerous. It adds to the state's plethora of mass surveillance tools.

2 - Public-Private surveillance partnerships can seriously undermine our freedoms and alter democratic societies by normalising surveillance. You shouldn't have to worry that your tech purchases might be used for surveillance purposes.

2.1 - These public-private partnerships do not offer the transparency we need to scrutinise them. Often, only heavily redacted contracts make it to the public sphere.

3 - Police forces already have access to a variety of investigative tools and publicly-funded street cameras.

5 - One of Amazon's employees last year commented: "The deployment of connected home security cameras that allow footage to be queried centrally are simply not compatible with a free society. Ring should be shut down immediately and not brought back." businessinsider.com/amazon-enginee…

5.1 - We agree. This is another example of how public-private surveillance partnerships often put disproportionate power in the hands of the state. And any example is an example too much. Find out more about Ring: privacyinternational.org/long-read/3971…