Amazon: Ring cameras now with optional facial recognition
Ring cameras can now also recognize faces in Germany and inform users about them. The option is deactivated by default.
(Image: Ring)
“Familiar Faces” becomes “Bekannte Gesichter” in Germany: A facial recognition feature for Amazon's Ring cameras, previously only available in the USA, is now also available in Germany. Ring cameras can thus recognize people and inform the camera owner about who is at the door.
According to Amazon, the goal of the feature is to send users personalized notifications. Instead of sending a “Person at the front door” message to a mobile phone, Ring can in future report “Grandma at the front door”, for example. Users can individually enable and disable notifications for each person, Amazon writes in a statement.
“Bekannte Gesichter” creates an entry for each visitor when a person moves within the camera's field of vision and their face is recognizable. Users then have the opportunity to name this person. A total of up to 50 profiles can be created for individuals. Visitors who are not saved by the user as known people are automatically removed after 30 days.
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Deactivated by default
The “Bekannte Gesichter” function is deactivated by default. Anyone who wants to use the feature must therefore actively enable it. Amazon points out that users must obtain explicit consent from visitors before activating it. Furthermore, the consent of children is subject to special legal regulations. If a person withdraws their consent, they must be removed from the database of known faces immediately. Whether the removal from the database actually takes place cannot be easily controlled by those affected.
To use the feature at all, a premium subscription with Ring and compatible hardware are necessary. “Bekannte Gesichter” works on Ring cameras and doorbells with 2K or 4K resolution. Some selected devices with HD resolution are also supported. Amazon provides an overview in a support entry. “Bekannte Gesichter” is incompatible with Ring's end-to-end video encryption, Amazon writes.
“Bekannte Gesichter” is one of several controversial AI features from Ring that Amazon has introduced in the USA in recent months. Another feature in particular has been heavily criticized: “Search Party” is marketed by Amazon as an AI-powered aid in the search for lost dogs. For this, dog owners can report their pets and initiate an AI-powered search via all Ring cameras in the neighborhood. If the searched animal runs through the field of vision of one of these devices, users should be automatically notified. Critics fear that this combination of different Ring cameras could also be used to track people.
(dahe)
