--- title: "Oops: FBI Says Criminals Are Using Ring Cameras to Spy on Cops" description: "According to a leaked FBI bulletin obtained by The Intercept, criminals are hacking into internet-connected smart doorbells track law enforcement." date: "2020-08-31" modified: "2020-08-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fbi-criminals-using-ring-cameras-spy-cops" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "FBI" - "ring" - "smart doorbell" - "the digest" --- # Oops: FBI Says Criminals Are Using Ring Cameras to Spy on Cops ![According to a leaked FBI bulletin obtained by The Intercept, criminals are hacking into internet-connected smart doorbells track law enforcement.]() *\Image: Amazon/Victor Tangermann\* ## Hunter Becoming the Hunted According to a leaked FBI bulletin [obtained by *The Intercept*](), cops are worried that criminals are using internet-connected smart doorbells, such as Amazon's Ring doorbells, to spy on law enforcement. "Subjects likely use \[internet of things\] devices to hinder \[law enforcement\] investigations and possibly monitor \[law enforcement\] activity," read the bulletin. ## Neighborhood Watch The leaked document highlights a 2017 incident in which FBI agents were recorded through a WIFI-connected doorbell system, notifying their target of their presence, as *The Intercept* reports. The target even "contacted his neighbor and landlord regarding the FBI’s presence there" as they were "able to see and hear everything happening at his residence." Smart doorbells and other internet-connected cameras are intended as a way to monitor neighborhoods for suspicious activity. Amazon subsidiary Ring [even partnered]() with local police departments as part of a new surveillance strategy. ## Civil Liberties Nightmare Unfortunately, those kinds of partnerships, in addition to [crime-hunting neighborhood watch apps](), have already led to [plenty of discrimination](), with advocacy groups [ringing the alarm bells]() over a [massive potential for racial profiling](). To many, smart doorbells, particularly those with [notably weak security features](), are a civil liberty nightmare. And now, we're seeing, even law enforcement could end up becoming the target. **READ MORE:** [Doorbell Cameras Like Ring Give Early Warning of Police Searches, FBI Warned]() \[*The Intercept*\] **More on smart doorbells:** *[Hackers Can Spy on and Hijack Amazon Doorbell's Video Feed]()* ## 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]()