Ring home security devices are supposed to help keep your family and home safe, but it turns out the company uses its products to sell your personal data to third-party advertisers and marketers. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently published a report showing that the Ring app contains undisclosed third-party trackers to collect user data, which it then sells to other companies. That Ring is tracking and selling user data isn’t that surprising—Ring is an Amazon-owned company, after all—but it’s intrusive nonetheless.
In response to user complaints and public criticism over the report, Ring put its third-party analytics tracking on hold and is updating the Ring app with a new option for users to opt out of their data-sharing program. The new setting is included in this week’s app update, which you should have soon (if not already). Once you’ve updated your app, here’s how to opt out of Ring’s data tracking:
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Open the Ring app.
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Go to Menu > Third Party Service Providers.
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Scroll down to the “Personalised Advertising” section and and turn off “Personalised Advertising.”
Unwanted data tracking isn’t the only privacy issue Ring has taken criticism for lately. The company recently updated its app with a new security dashboard and is (finally) forcing all users to enable text or email-based two-step authentication to prevent unwanted logins from outsiders and hackers—not to mention multiple instances of questionable data storage practices that have made videos and other user data easily accessible. Be sure to check out our guide for turning on these new settings and our other tips to keep your Ring devices secure.
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