this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
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Ring’s controversial, AI-powered “Search Party” feature isn’t intended to always be limited only to dogs, the company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, told Ring employees in an internal email obtained by 404 Media.

In October, Ring launched Search Party, an on-by-default feature that links together Ring cameras in a neighborhood and uses AI to search for specific lost dogs, essentially creating a networked, automated surveillance system. The feature got some attention at the time, but faced extreme backlash after Ring and Siminoff promoted Search Party during a Super Bowl ad. 404 Media obtained an email that Siminoff sent to all Ring employees in early October, soon after the feature’s launch, which said the feature was introduced “first for finding dogs,” but that it or features like it would be expanded to “zero out crime in neighborhoods.”

“This is by far the most innovation that we have launched in the history of Ring. And it is not only the quantity, but quality,” 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. So many things to do to get there but for the first time ever we have the chance to fully complete what we started.”

Archive: http://archive.today/xKxOd

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[–] hector@lemmy.today 64 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

No kidding? Next thing you will be telling us that chatcontrol and age checks on the internet will be used for more than just protecting kids from pedophiles and be extended to crushing dissent and opposition and democracy itself, and building social scores on us with all information including these cameras that will be used secretly against us in a way we cannot know or challenge to determine our jobs, background checks, police scrutiny, how courts and government treats you, how business treats you, the prices you are offered online and in digital price tag stores (coming soon,) and even what search results you are shown. All calculated by the antichrist's company, for said pedophile or pedophile adjacent politicians deciding which of us are undesirable, and given a way to slip names of people into the bad score list themselves, always a selling perk under the table to leaders.

It's always just a trojan horse to get in the walls. It will never end with finding pets, with stopping child abuse, what have you. They find the instance that no one can disagree with then accuse people of helping child abusers, maybe you are a child abuser yourself! It's not subtle. All done by people that are mostly on the epstein's redacted and unreleased pages for actually fucking children.

[–] LordCrom@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Dont forget claims they also ate children.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 45 points 6 days ago

I have to say, it's nice that they got called out on this immediately for a change.

[–] Weirstone@lemmy.world 31 points 6 days ago
[–] Adalast@lemmy.world 33 points 6 days ago (1 children)

And in other breaking news: the sky is blue, tree pretty, and fire hot.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 4 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Only if it's a lemon tree.

[–] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (2 children)

As long as there are no whores about.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 3 points 6 days ago

Hey! It's their chinese year, show some respect!

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 3 points 6 days ago

I bet we could convince the lemon stealing whores to join the lemon party.

[–] Elroc@lemmus.org 2 points 6 days ago

A lemon tree, my dear Watson?

[–] Earthman_Jim@lemmy.zip 19 points 6 days ago

Ancient book of Arabic numerals reveals 2 comes after 1.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

Breaking news: Fire is hot.

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago
[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

Ok guys, hear me out.

I need you to buy these cameras and put them on your face.

We will record your video for you and keep it safe for you and never give your data to anybody and we'll do all of this for free.

We'll also give you all of the software and setup all of the servers for you. Don't you worry your silly head about needing to learn anything about how to use technology, just give us your life-long dependence as we'll take care of everything. Also, AI.*

Also, you will help save puppies and children and you are on the side of puppies and children, right? This is a great deal! You can stop reading here, just click the button to agree... for the puppies.

*

spoilerYou also grant to us full, exclusive, worldwide, in perpetuity, until the sun falls the rights to use your likeness, words, thoughts, essence, and produces in any manner that we, in our sole discretion, see fit and you also agree to submit to binding arbitration for any disputes

In exchange, We will never give away your data. But we will ruthlessly exploit OUR licensed copy of your data to sell to anybody who can do a wire transfer.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 15 points 6 days ago

It's about dogs and crime. Sure.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago

Lol fucking duh

[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 16 points 6 days ago

What if your kid runs off? Your elderly mother wondered off? A break in was reported down the road? What if all non whites are labeled terrorist? We need to watch you 24/7. Obey

[–] mech@feddit.org 15 points 6 days ago

Off the record, Siminoff could be heard saying "Dogs today, blacks tomorrow and people later."^[Citation needed]

[–] Red_October@piefed.world 16 points 6 days ago

Yeah, we all saw that coming and it's exactly why everyone's freaking out about it.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 12 points 6 days ago (2 children)

fuckin'… they were expanding into dogs to distract from what the system was really for

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I never even heard of it before the superb owl ad. I couldn't believe how dirty it was to tug at our heartstrings to make us pay them to spy on us.

What the fuck, America?

[–] Pricklesthemagicfish@reddthat.com 6 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Wait till you learn about flock cameras and the raven sound detection

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[–] LordCrom@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Hell, they were saying it was for dogs so stupid people would get their heart strings pulled and blindly sign up.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 6 days ago

c/noshitsherlock

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago

No shit Sherlock

[–] myfunnyaccountname@lemmy.zip 11 points 6 days ago

Y’all just need to think about the shareholders.

[–] discocactus@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago
[–] UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

I'm.... flabbergasted. Unbelievable. Who would've thought?

[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

Anyone remember "Police Blotter" reports in local papers? Some were funny.

Someone called in with concerns about a neighborhood cat that is "continuously at large."

But they mostly gave people a very dark view of the world outside. This led to metal bars on doors and windows, sale of pricey security systems, and folks walking around scared of their shadow. That all moved over to apps like NextDoor, Citizen, and Ring's Neighbors.

Fear is a primal driver. People on those apps are constantly reporting "odd looking people" in their neighborhood. Not surprisingly, the pet "Search Party" feature goes through Neighbors. Those same users are primed to see bad people everywhere. They will happily accept any feature that promises "zero crime neighborhoods."

ANY feature.

[–] kn0wmad1c@programming.dev 4 points 6 days ago

Sorry, I only have a YouTube link for this: https://youtu.be/ROFblZ_-9q4

If you haven't seen it, Wyse (Ring competitor) released a pretty funny ad about this.

[–] jabberwock@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 days ago (3 children)

FWIW, Ring announced they were canceling their partnership with Flock a few days ago following the Superbowl ad where they were universally dragged. https://blog.ring.com/about-ring/ring-and-flock-cancel-partnership/

Do I think Ring is still running some sort of analytics on video feeds? Probably. Should you put anything from Amazon directly in the trash? Absolutely.

Silver lining I guess is that public pressure still works at least a little when companies try to go straight dystopian.

[–] SparroHawc@lemmy.zip 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The partnership will happen later on when the noise has died down, and it won't be publicized.

[–] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Yeah, exactly. That shit's not gone at all. It's just hidden for now. And if we the public don't pay for it directly as a feature, these companies will still scoop up the data and just sell it to each other.

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They're still doing the same with a different company. Don't remember the name.

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[–] DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

BOLO: Leftist dissenter. Apprehend at all costs.

Uploading to search party for facial match.......

[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago

Breaking News! Multiple forks discovered in kitchen, exclusive coverage tonight at 11:00!

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Yeah it's called tracking everything that's happening and feeding it to AI so AI can predict and alert the owners of whatever we they decided is important to know about and predict, like threats to their power and ambitions by the stupid masses who should just accept they're slaves.

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