Amazon’s Ring is partnering with surveillance tech firm Flock Safety, enabling law enforcement agencies using Flock’s software to request video footage directly from Ring camera owners. This opt-in system, called Community Requests, allows citizens to share video for specific crime investigations through a secure platform, which Flock’s CEO argues provides a better chain of custody than prior methods. The deal, similar to a recent one between Ring and Axon, aims to make police investigations more efficient by tapping into the vast network of residential cameras. However, the move intensifies the debate around private surveillance, with civil liberties groups like the EFF warning that such systems create a ‘warrantless digital dragnet’ that threatens privacy and freedom without proven safety benefits. Flock’s CEO dismisses these concerns as hypothetical, framing the technology as a necessary response to crime.