--- title: "Ring’s “Orwellian” Ad Was the Worst Super Bowl Disaster Since Kendall Jenner Handed the Cops a Pepsi" description: "Amazon's home security subsidiary Ring, may have finally dethroned Pepsi's disastrous ad as the biggest Super Bowl marketing disaster." date: "2026-02-14" modified: "2026-02-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/ring-orwellian-ad-worst-super-bowl-ad-pepsi" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" - "Facial recognition" - "Future Society" - "Privacy" --- # Ring’s “Orwellian” Ad Was the Worst Super Bowl Disaster Since Kendall Jenner Handed the Cops a Pepsi ![Amazon's home security subsidiary Ring, may have finally dethroned Pepsi's disastrous ad as the biggest Super Bowl marketing disaster.]() *Futurism* In a now-infamous 2017 commercial that aired during that year's Super Bowl, Kendall Jenner handed a police officer confronting furious protesters a can of Pepsi. The backlash of the ad, which aired as Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with law enforcement across the country, was swift and brutal. The tone deaf clip was overwhelmingly criticized for trivializing racial discrimination and police brutality, leading to Pepsi [pulling the ad]() and issuing a public apology that was itself [shredded by critics](). Now, Amazon's home security subsidiary Ring, may have finally dethroned Pepsi's disastrous ad as the biggest Super Bowl marketing disaster in recent history, in a debacle that ended with the company canceling a controversial partnership with an AI surveillance company in an apparent attempt to save face. During last weekend's Super Bowl, Ring aired an ad to show off a new function, called "Search Party," which allowed Ring to access devices across an entire neighborhood to find lost pets. The expensive ad [massively missed the mark](), accidentally implying that Ring cameras are creating an "[Orwellian]()" surveillance network that goes far beyond lost pets. Furious customers started [disconnecting and even reportedly destroying their Ring cameras](), refusing to be part of a dystopian network of internet-connected spy cameras. "I think (the commercial) surprised a lot of Americans by revealing just how powerful surveillance networks backed by AI have become," ACLU senior policy analyst Jay Stanley [told *USA Today*](). "That power may be applied to puppies today, but where else might it be applied? Searches for people wearing t-shirts with certain political messages on them?" The timing couldn't have been worse, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents continue to round up civiliansacross the United States, triggering widespread panic and fear. There are signs that Ring is paying attention. On Thursday, roughly four days after the ad aired, Amazon [announced]() it was canceling its [widely-criticized partnership with surveillance company Flock](), a firm that makes footage from its connected devices available to local and federal police and enforcement agencies like ICE. "Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated," Ring wrote. "As a result, we have made the joint decision to cancel the planned integration. The integration never launched, so no Ring customer videos were ever sent to Flock Safety." Where the latest announcement leaves contested claims over Flock handing over private surveillance footage to federal immigration agents, including ICE, remains to be seen — but the optics certainly aren't great as Ring continues to pick up the pieces following its disastrous Super Bowl ad. "Cool, still never buying a Ring, especially after all this," one furious Reddit user [wrote]() in response to the latest news. **More on the ad:** [*Ring Boasts About Power to Surveil Entire Neighborhoods*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()