TechCrunch Daily Crunch Amazon’s Ring rolls out controversial, AI-powered facial-recognition feature to video doorbells
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Dec 10, 2025 Amazon's Ring introduces a new feature called Familiar Faces, allowing users to label up to 50 people for personalized alerts. This innovation raises significant privacy concerns, as ties to law enforcement and past security failures come under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Slack's CEO transitions to a role at OpenAI, highlighting the evolving landscape of tech leadership. The popularity of AI chatbots among US teens also becomes a topic, as safety concerns around their usage continue to grow.
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Ring's Familiar Faces Adds Personalized Alerts
- Amazon's Ring launched Familiar Faces to identify regular visitors by creating a catalog of up to 50 faces.
- The feature labels people in notifications and the app timeline, promising cloud encryption and 30-day removal for unnamed faces.
Privacy Risks Loom Despite Encryption Claims
- Despite encryption claims, critics worry Ring's partnerships and history with law enforcement raise surveillance risks.
- Amazon's past collaborations with police and surveillance vendors make privacy assurances controversial.
Disable Or Avoid Real-Name Labels
- Keep Familiar Faces disabled if you want to avoid potential privacy and security exposure.
- At minimum, avoid labeling people with their real names in the Ring app.