Surveillance Tech

FBI Surveillance Vendor Threatens to Sue Tech Reporters for Heinous Crime of Doing Journalism

Motherboard on Thursday revealed that a “secretive” U.S. government vendor whose surveillance products are not publicly advertised has been marketing hidden cameras disguised as seemingly ordinary objects—vacuum cleaners, tree stumps, and tombstones—to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, among other law enforcement agencies, and the military, in addition to, ahem, “select clients.” Yes, that’s tombstone cams,…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Jan 9

Ring’s Security Woes Cause Some Tech Review Sites to Rethink Glowing Endorsements

At least two tech review sites are discussing whether to rescind their positive recommendations of Ring’s home surveillance cameras, a leading digital-rights organization announced this week. In the wake of reporting by Gizmodo and other outlets this year concerning Ring’s troubled security and privacy practices, Fight for the Future has launched a campaign calling on…

Tech Policy Dell Cameron Dec 24

Ring Sure Does Have a Lot of Password Leaks That Are Entirely Your Fault

One of Ring’s stated goals is to “reduce crime in neighborhoods by connecting people.” What customers didn’t expect is that those people would be criminals who’d be spying on them in their homes, occasionally yelling racist or threatening things at their children. On Thursday, BuzzFeed News reported that at least 3,672 Ring camera owners had…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Dec 19

‘I Slept With My Gun’: What It’s Like to Get Your Ring Camera Hacked

John was on his way home from the grocery store when he got the panicked call from his wife. After a weekend out of town, his kids were finally asleep in their Houston area home. His wife was getting ready for bed too, before she heard a stranger’s voice echoing down her hallway. “Is anyone…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Dec 13

DHS Aims to Expand Facial Recognition at Border to Include U.S. Citizens

Facial recognition technology has been creeping into American airports for a few years, but now the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is trying to give its agents the ability to perform mandatory face scans on all U.S. citizens traveling into and out of the country. DHS has been testing facial recognition systems at U.S. airports…

Privacy & Security Jennings Brown Dec 3

Website Calls for Investigation of Ring, Gets Blocked by Facebook

A leading digital rights organization on Tuesday said that Facebook was actively blocking its users from sharing a link to a web page critical of Amazon that labels its internet-connected home security products—namely, Ring doorbell cameras—a threat to “privacy, civil liberties, and security”. Gizmodo independently confirmed that Facebook has blocked the URL, investigateamazon.com. At the…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Nov 26

Amazon Faces Heat From Senators Over Ring Doorbell Security Practices

Citing the potential for sensitive footage “detailing the lives of millions of Americans” to fall into the hands of hackers and foreign spies, a group of a U.S. lawmakers are demanding to know more about how Ring, Amazon’s home security company, is protecting its customers’ data. In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Nov 20

Is Your Workplace Slack a Surveillance Tool?

Slack markets itself as a tool to increase productivity and portrays other forms of communication, particularly email, as outmoded. Even employees who sit feet away from one another in open areas eventually prefer slacking each other rather than communicating verbally. It seems somehow easier, after all, and maybe less disruptive. But it also feels like…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Nov 4

Amazon Is Marketing Face Recognition to Police Departments Partnered With Ring: Report

Amazon is marketing its facial recognition software to Florida police departments that are currently partnered with its home surveillance company, Ring—arrangements that allow police to request access to video footage captured by homeowners. Emails uncovered by an ABC News investigative team in Tampa Bay (WFTS) reportedly show that Amazon has been pushing police departments to…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Oct 15

Amazon’s Favorite New Word Is ‘Privacy,’ But Does It Even Know the Meaning?

Few companies have done more than Amazon to dilute the meaning of the word “privacy.” A little more than a decade ago, “privacy” was a word used by people to describe the state of being alone and unobserved, away from prying eyes and ears. Today, so-called “privacy” policies are little more than legal disclosures vaguely…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Sep 25

Exposed Files Leak Details on SORM, Russia’s Pervasive Domestic Surveillance System

A California-based security company on Wednesday revealed its researchers had discovered more than 1.7 terabytes of proprietary telecommunications data left publicly online, including hardware specifications for a lawful surveillance device used throughout the Russian Federation. TechCrunch first reported on the exposed files discovered by a data breach hunter working at UpGuard. Among the cache are…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Sep 18

Ring’s Partnerships with Police Has Senator Demanding Answers

Ring’s controversial relationship with police departments nationwide has landed the Amazon-owned home security company in the crosshairs of congressional concern. Senator Edward Markey sent a letter to Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos on Thursday outlining concerns about how footage from the company’s doorbell cameras is accessed by authorities. The document also includes a list of 10…

Privacy & Security Alyse Stanley Sep 5

Ring Gave Police Stats About Users Who Said ‘No’ to Law Enforcement Requests

Amazon’s home security company Ring tracked how its users responded to law enforcement requests for surveillance footage captured by Ring devices, and it provided overviews of that data to police departments upon request. In emails obtained by Gizmodo, Ring informed a Florida police department about the number of times residents had refused police access to…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Aug 30

Ring Discloses Over 400 Partnerships With Police in Most Complete Map Yet

Amazon’s home security company Ring is opening up about just how many police departments it’s partnered with across the country. Today the company published a map showing hundreds of departments with which it’s inked deals. For months, Ring has refused to provide basic details about its partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, going as far…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Aug 28

Amazon’s Ring Barred Cops From Using ‘Surveillance’ to Describe Its Products

Amazon’s home security company Ring quietly removed the term “surveillance” from a statement law enforcement officials provided to local news outlets, according to public records obtained by Gizmodo. Emails this March between Ring and the Ewing Police Department in New Jersey show the company edited a quote attributed to the city’s chief of police, John…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Aug 19

Cops Are Giving Amazon’s Ring Your Real-Time 911 Caller Data

Amazon-owned home security company Ring is pursuing contracts with police departments that would grant it direct access to real-time emergency dispatch data, Gizmodo has learned. The California-based company is seeking police departments’ permission to tap into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) feeds used to automate and improve decisions made by emergency dispatch personnel and cut down…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Aug 1

Everything Cops Say About Amazon’s Ring Is Scripted or Approved by Ring

Amazon’s home security company Ring has garnered enormous control over the ways in which its law enforcement partners are allowed to portray its products, going as far as to review and even author statements attributed to police in the press, according to emails and documents obtained by Gizmodo. This summer, Ring even urged a Florida…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Jul 30

The Mystery of That Taylor Swift Face Recognition Kiosk Has Been Solved

In December of last year, Rolling Stone reported that at a Taylor Swift concert at the 2018 Rose Bowl, there was a mysterious kiosk playing clips of the singer that doubled as a facial recognition system to flag any of Swift’s stalkers. A number of reports covered the alleged kiosk—including Gizmodo—but little was known at…

Privacy & Security Melanie Ehrenkranz Feb 15

The FBI Lets Criminals Walk in Order to Keep This Device a Secret

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is notoriously secretive about its cell phone tracking tools known as Stingrays. Now, new documents obtained by the ACLU show how the Feds keep their surveillance gadgets shrouded in mystery: the FBImakes cops dismiss criminal cases if they threaten to reveal secrets about Stingrays. The American Civil Liberties Union received…

Privacy & Security Kate Knibbs Apr 8

FBI Surveillance Vendor Threatens to Sue Tech Reporters for Heinous Crime of Doing Journalism

Ring’s Security Woes Cause Some Tech Review Sites to Rethink Glowing Endorsements

Ring Sure Does Have a Lot of Password Leaks That Are Entirely Your Fault

‘I Slept With My Gun’: What It’s Like to Get Your Ring Camera Hacked

DHS Aims to Expand Facial Recognition at Border to Include U.S. Citizens

Website Calls for Investigation of Ring, Gets Blocked by Facebook

Amazon Faces Heat From Senators Over Ring Doorbell Security Practices

Is Your Workplace Slack a Surveillance Tool?

Amazon Is Marketing Face Recognition to Police Departments Partnered With Ring: Report

Amazon’s Favorite New Word Is ‘Privacy,’ But Does It Even Know the Meaning?

Exposed Files Leak Details on SORM, Russia’s Pervasive Domestic Surveillance System

Ring’s Partnerships with Police Has Senator Demanding Answers

Ring Gave Police Stats About Users Who Said ‘No’ to Law Enforcement Requests

Ring Discloses Over 400 Partnerships With Police in Most Complete Map Yet

Amazon’s Ring Barred Cops From Using ‘Surveillance’ to Describe Its Products

Cops Are Giving Amazon’s Ring Your Real-Time 911 Caller Data

Everything Cops Say About Amazon’s Ring Is Scripted or Approved by Ring

The Mystery of That Taylor Swift Face Recognition Kiosk Has Been Solved

The FBI Lets Criminals Walk in Order to Keep This Device a Secret

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