Amazon's AI pet-tracking ad draws backlash over surveillance fears
11 Feb 2026

Amazon-owned Ring is facing major backlash over its new Search Party feature.

The 30-second Super Bowl commercial featured Ring cameras "surveilling" neighborhoods to find a lost dog.

The ad has raised alarms about the potential misuse of this AI-powered tech for human tracking, especially in light of Ring's recent facial recognition capabilities.

Privacy expert Chris Gilliard criticized the ad as a "clumsy attempt by Ring to put a cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality."

Partnership with Flock Safety raises data sharing concerns
Surveillance alliance

The fears are further fueled by Ring's partnership with Flock Safety, a surveillance tech company that works with law enforcement.

This partnership raises concerns due to Flock Safety's history of allowing ICE access to its nationwide camera network, which could potentially lead to data sharing concerns.

Senator Ed Markey, a vocal critic of Ring's ties to law enforcement, has called out the ad on X saying "This definitely isn't about dogs - it's about mass surveillance."

Public reaction to ad largely negative
Social media backlash

The public reaction to Ring's Super Bowl ad has been largely negative. Comments on the YouTube video of the ad ranged from "This is a huge problem disguised as a solution," to "Smart way to gaslight people in mass surveillance."

In response, Ring spokesperson Emma Daniels clarified that Search Party is designed specifically for matching dog images and isn't capable of processing human biometrics.

'Not tools for mass surveillance'
Feature clarification

Daniels emphasized that the Familiar Faces facial recognition feature is separate from Search Party, working at an individual account level without communal sharing.

While Familiar Faces is opt-in for each user, Search Party is enabled by default on any outdoor camera enrolled in Ring's subscription plan.

"These are not tools for mass surveillance," Daniels said, stressing that they build proper guardrails and are transparent about them.

Can users share footage with law enforcement?
User control

Ring users can share footage with local law enforcement during an active investigation through a feature called Community Requests.

Unlike previous partnerships, this one goes through third-party companies like Axon and Flock for a more secure chain of custody.

Daniels reiterated that neither the government nor law enforcement can access its network, and footage is only shared by users or in response to legal requests.