Ring’s Founder Knows You Hated That Super Bowl Ad

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by Jordyn Holman

February 19, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

The founder of Ring, Jamie Siminoff, faced significant backlash after his company's Super Bowl ad for doorbell cameras sparked concerns over privacy and surveillance. The ad featured a new feature called Search Party, which uses AI to track lost pets across neighborhoods using Ring camera footage. While the intention was to highlight the product's helpfulness, critics deemed the feature dystopian and potentially invasive, raising alarms about broader surveillance capabilities. Senator Edward J. Markey specifically criticized the technology for its serious privacy risks. The ad aired during a sensitive time involving home surveillance. Law enforcement had recently accessed footage from a Google Nest camera in the search for Nancy Guthrie, a missing woman, despite reports that she didn't have an active subscription. This incident added to public unease about how muchRing cameras might be monitoring users. Ring's ubiquity, as Amazon's subsidiary and a leading brand in doorbell cameras, has made it a household name, heightening concerns about data collection practices. Siminoff has been on a media tour to address these worries, appearing on CNN and NBC, and speaking with The New York Times. He emphasized the benefits of increased video surveillance but acknowledged the need for transparency regarding user privacy. This response comes as part of an effort to mitigate the growing public relations crisis surrounding Ring's technology. The backlash underscores broader societal concerns about the ethical use of home surveillance tools. As these devices become more prevalent, questions about data collection and privacy rights are increasingly central to public discourse. The timing of the

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Originally published on NYT Homepage on 2/19/2026