The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) started distributing more than $5 million in refunds to Amazon Ring customers on Tuesday, forcing a settlement with the tech giant over allegations that Ring failed to protect consumer privacy.
The FTC alleged in a 2023 complaint that Ring allowed employees and contractors improper access to the company’s security camera records, potentially putting customers’ privacy at risk. Ring allegedly used these images to train algorithms without consent, among other purposes.
The agency called the lapses “egregious violations of users’ privacy.”
Amazon, which owns Ring, settled the claims last year and agreed to pay $5.6 million in refunds to Ring customers. The company separately settled a second privacy claim about its Alexa voice assistant for $25 million.
The FTC said it will send refunds to more than 115,000 customers who owned certain Ring devices, including indoor cameras, via PayPal.
The refunds perpetuate public concerns about the privacy of Ring camera data. The company announced in January that it would no longer share videos with authorities, following criticism from customers.
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