Amazon faces lawsuit over Ring facial recognition software
A Virginia resident is suing Amazon for privacy violations after the e-commerce company's Ring video doorbell camera allegedly used facial recognition technology to record and store images of his face without his consent.
Charles Sigwalt, who filed a lawsuit on Monday in Seattle federal court, where Amazon has one of its headquarters, alleges that Ring's "Familiar Faces" feature uses facial-recognition software to scan anyone who passes by the doorbell camera and categorizes them using artificial intelligence.
The system then collects a "face print" that allows it to re-identify the person, according to his complaint, which seeks class-action status.
"When plaintiffs and class members entered the homes and businesses of places which had Ring cameras that deployed Familiar Faces, they did not consent to have their privacy rights violated at the entrance way," the suit alleges.
Sigwalt alleges Ring collected his facial recognition data without warning while he was visiting friends' and family members' homes. He believes the company is still storing his biometric data, according to the lawsuit.
Amazon declined to comment on the suit.
"Familiar Faces" draws criticism
Ring introduced the "Familiar Faces" feature in September 2025, billing it as a way for owners of its doorbell camera to receive more personalized alerts when someone arrives at their residence. Instead of seeing "Person at Front Door," for example, they might receive an alert with a name, such as "John at Front Door."
"Your camera learns to recognize friends, family and frequent visitors over time," the company says on its website.
Users can turn the feature on and off, according to Ring.
Groups like the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation have pushed back on the feature, claiming it violates people's privacy. The biometric data could be used for mass surveillance or be leaked in a potential data breach, the group has warned.
Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts has been another vocal opponent of the Familar Faces technology, noting that it could be used to record the biometric data of people who never consented to have their faces scanned.
Other Ring backlash
Amazon has faced other litigation over its Ring product. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a suit claiming that the online retailer gave its workers and contractors access to personal videos recorded by Ring and failed to protect customer security, leading to hackers threatening or sexually propositioning Ring owners. Amazon settled the case for $5.8 million.
More recently, Amazon abruptly ended a commercial partnership with security technology company Flock Safety after backlash over a Super Bowl commercial for Ring sparked concerns about unwanted surveillance.
Amazon bought Ring in 2018 for $1 billion.
— CBS News' Alain Sherter contributed to this report.
