Ring customers can expect payment from the FTC, thanks to a video privacy settlement

The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $5.6 million in refunds to consumers as part of a settlement with Amazon-owned Ring, which was accused of failing to protect private video footage from outside access.

In a 2023 complaint, the FTC accused the doorbell camera and home security provider of allowing its employees and contractors to access customers’ private videos. Ring allegedly used this footage to train algorithms without consent, among other purposes.

Ring was also accused of failing to implement basic security safeguards, which enabled hackers to take control of customer accounts, cameras and videos. The Federal Trade Commission noted that this led to “flagrant violations of users’ privacy.”

the Resulting settlement Ring requested that content found to be illegally obtained be deleted, stronger security protections be established and a hefty fine be paid. The FTC says it’s now using much of that money to refund eligible Ring customers.

According to Tuesday’s notice, the FTC sent 117,044 PayPal payments to affected consumers who had certain types of Ring devices — including indoor cameras — during the timeframes in which regulators allege unauthorized access occurred.

Eligible customers will need to get these payments back within 30 days, according to the FTC — which added that consumers can communication Recover this case, Rust Consulting, or visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Frequently asked questions page about refunds For more information about this process.

In a statement sent to The Associated Press, Ring said bad actors took emails and passwords that were “stolen from other companies to illegally log into the Ring accounts of certain customers” who used the same credentials on multiple sites in 2019 – Adding that the company immediately addressed this issue by notifying people it found to be “exposed in a non-Ring third-party incident” and taking necessary measures to protect affected accounts.

Ring did not immediately address the FTC’s allegations about employees and contractors illegally accessing the footage.

Earlier this year, the California-based company separately announced it would do so Stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from usersThis marks the end of a feature that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates.

-Wyatt Grantham Phillips, Associated Press business writer