Ring doorbell has decided to end its collaboration with Flock after receiving widespread criticism for its Super Bowl advertisement.
The recent Super Bowl event featured a multitude of advertisements, which companies reportedly pay up to $10 million for. One of these ads was from Ring doorbell.
The advertisement showcased a feature named ‘Search Party’—an addition to the doorbell designed to assist in locating lost pets. Users can upload a picture of their missing pet, and AI technology aids in tracking it down.
Activating this feature enlists the help of a network of Ring cameras, searching footage for the pet’s likeness to help reunite it with its owner.
Despite its wholesome intent, the ad faced backlash, with many labeling it as ‘terrifying’.
Watch the ad here:
This ‘Search Party’ feature announcement came after Ring’s October declaration of its partnership with Flock. This collaboration would have allowed law enforcement to request video footage from Ring users via Flock’s AI-enhanced, license-plate-reading camera network.
Flock was not involved in the ‘Search Party’ initiative.
The proposed project, which never commenced, has now been terminated.
“We can confirm that Flock’s intended integration with Community Requests has been cancelled,” an Amazon spokesperson stated in an email to NBC News.
“This integration was never live, and no videos were ever shared between these services. Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated. We therefore made the joint decision to cancel the integration.”
On Flock’s website, they shared: “We want to share an update: the planned integration between Flock and Ring’s Community Request tool has been canceled. The integration never launched, so no Ring customer videos were ever sent to Flock.
“We believe this decision allows both companies to best serve their respective customers and communities. Flock remains dedicated to supporting law enforcement agencies with tools that are fully configurable to local laws and policies, and we continue to engage directly with public officials and community leaders.”
As reported by CNBC, Flock’s technology is in use in numerous communities, and agencies such as ICE and CBP have accessed its footage.
Flock, however, has denied sharing data with ICE or any related agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.