Washington Post: “For the first time, the company is adding facial recognition to its home security doorbells and video cameras. Facial recognition technology is increasingly used in airports, police investigations and sports venues. Now Amazon’s Ring says it’s putting facial recognition for the first time into its home security doorbells and video cameras. It’s intended to identify your sister, a neighbor or other people you know. While the feature will be optional for Ring device owners, privacy advocates say it’s unfair that wherever the technology is in use, anyone within sight will have their faces scanned to determine who’s a friend or stranger. The Ring feature is “invasive for anyone who walks within range of your Ring doorbell,” said Calli Schroeder, senior counsel at the consumer advocacy and policy group Electronic Privacy Information Center. “They are not consenting to this.” Ring spokeswoman Emma Daniels said that Ring’s features empower device owners to be responsible users of facial recognition and to comply with relevant laws that “may require obtaining consent prior to identifying people.” (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Other companies, including Google, already offer facial recognition for connected doorbells and cameras. You might use similar technology to unlock your iPhone or tag relatives in digital photo albums. But privacy watchdogs said that Ring’s use of facial recognition poses added risks, because the company’s products are embedded in our neighborhoods and have a history of raising social, privacy and legal questions. How Ring’s facial recognition will work – The feature called “Familiar Faces” will be available for new Ring doorbells and security cameras starting in December. The company offered few details about the feature during a product announcement and in a post Tuesday, but agreed to answer my questions…”