Amazon faces class action over Ring’s facial recognition data collection
A lawsuit filed in Washington state claims the tech giant unlawfully retained face prints of millions without consent, while selectively disabling the feature in jurisdictions with strict privacy protections.
A class action lawsuit has been lodged in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington against Amazon, alleging that its Ring security cameras unlawfully scan and retain the biometric data of millions of Americans. The complaint, filed by Virginia resident Charles Sigwalt, seeks financial damages and an injunction, arguing that the AI-driven 'Familiar Faces' feature violates the Federal Trade Commission Act and Virginia state laws by collecting facial recognition data for commercial gain.
The suit contends that Ring’s technology creates a unique 'face print' from scanned images of guests and passersby, allowing owners to identify known individuals. Sigwalt argues this constitutes a surreptitious collection of biometric information without adequate consent, violating Section 5 of the FTC Act’s prohibition on deceptive and unfair trade practices. The complaint further alleges breaches of Virginia law prohibiting the use of likenesses for trade without written consent, alongside claims of intrusion upon seclusion and unjust enrichment.
A central point of contention in the litigation is Ring’s selective implementation of the feature. The lawsuit highlights that Ring disables 'Familiar Faces' in jurisdictions with strict biometric privacy laws, including Texas, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon. However, the feature remains active in other areas, leaving the public with no control over their data. The complaint asserts that Amazon deliberately chooses not to follow biometric privacy laws where they are not mandated, despite having the technical capacity to do so.
Amazon revealed to US Senator Ed Markey that individuals must request data deletion from each individual Ring device owner, rather than through a centralised system. This lack of a centralised opt-out mechanism has drawn criticism from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has urged regulators to investigate Amazon’s consent obligations. The foundation noted that the company appears to be shifting compliance responsibilities to individual camera owners, who may not be aware of the legal implications of enabling the feature.
The legal action follows a pattern of regulatory scrutiny for Ring. In 2023, Amazon settled an FTC lawsuit for $5.8 million without admitting wrongdoing, resolving allegations that employees and contractors had accessed private video recordings. Additionally, Senator Markey has previously urged Amazon to discontinue the feature, citing concerns over the absence of consent mechanisms for the general public. Amazon declined to comment on the latest lawsuit when contacted by Ars Technica.
