FTC Awards More Than $5M in Refunds to Amazon Ring Customers

FTC Refunds Amazon Ring Customers Over Privacy Settlement

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began distributing over $5 million in refunds to Amazon Ring customers on Tuesday, enforcing a settlement with the tech giant over claims that Ring failed to protect consumer privacy.

Privacy Concerns and Settlement

• The FTC claimed in a 2023 complaint that Ring allowed employees and contractors improper access to records from the company’s security cameras, potentially putting customer’s privacy at risk.
• Ring allegedly used such footage to train algorithms without consent, among other purposes.

Refund Details and Impact

1. Amazon, the owner of Ring, agreed to pay $5.6 million in refunds to affected customers as part of the settlement reached with the FTC.
2. The FTC will send refunds to over 115,000 customers who owned certain Ring devices, emphasizing the consequences of privacy breaches in the tech industry.

The refunds highlight ongoing concerns over Ring camera data privacy and signal a shift towards stricter privacy measures in response to customer feedback.