Amazon’s Ring will pay $5.8 million to settle allegations that the home security camera company violated customer privacy, the agency said Wednesday.
Amazon.com will also pay $25 million in a separate agreement over allegations the company violated children’s online privacy laws through its smart speakers and Alexa app.
The FTC alleged Ring deceived customers by failing to restrict access to their videos to employees and contractors, and by using customer videos to train algorithms without gaining consent.
The agency alleged the conduct violated users’ privacy. In one instance, an employee over several months allegedly viewed thousands of video recordings belonging to female users of Ring cameras that surveilled intimate spaces, including their bathrooms and bedrooms, according to the complaint.
The FTC also alleged Ring failed to implement basic measures to monitor and detect employees’ video access, and even after imposing restrictions on access could not determine whether many other employees inappropriately accessed private videos.
A spokesperson for Ring said the company “promptly addressed these issues on its own years ago, well before the FTC began its inquiry.”
“While we disagree with the FTC’s allegations and deny violating the law, this settlement resolves this matter so we can focus on innovating on behalf of our customers,” the spokesperson added.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
