The Federal Trade Commission announced this week that some people who purchased certain home surveillance cameras made by Amazon's Ring Inc. may be eligible for a refund of their purchase price. The payments, totaling more than $5.6 million, are part of a settlement between Ring and the FTC over charges that the company failed to protect customer accounts.
Here's what you need to know:
What is the lawsuit about?
Last May, the FTC accused Ring of giving its employees and contractors access to private video footage of its customers. The agency said in its complaint that Ring used the videos to train computer algorithms without customers' consent. Ring also didn't have adequate protections in place, making customers' accounts, videos and cameras more vulnerable to hacking, he said, the FTC said.
The FTC and Ring reached a settlement that same month. As part of the deal, Ring paid a settlement that will be used to refund customers, delete all private videos that should not have been accessed, and establish a privacy and security program. The FTC has now made 117,044 PayPal payments to affected customers using funds disbursed by Ring.
Mr. Ring did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, Ring said in a post-settlement statement that it had addressed issues regarding its security and privacy practices “well before” the FTC's lawsuit and that the agency “mischaracterized our security practices.” Ta. And it ignores the many protections we have in place for our customers. ”
How do I know if I'm eligible for a refund?
If you had a Ring account and certain types of Ring devices (such as indoor camera models Stick Up Cam and Indoor Cam) before February 1, 2018, you may be eligible for a refund pursuant to a court order.
The defendant (in this case, Ring) is typically asked to provide a list of its customers, contact information, and amounts paid. The FTC uses that information to send payments.
Eligible customers should already have received an email from the FTC
How much can I get?
Payments vary depending on the type of Ring device you own and when you had your account.
I received a PayPal payment from the FTC. How do I know if it's real?
If you are eligible for a refund, you should have received an email from the agency by Tuesday at the address submit@subscribe.ftc.gov. Since the payment was made on Tuesday, you should have received another email from PayPal regarding your refund. Payments must be redeemed by May 22nd. Otherwise, it will be returned to the FTC.
If you would like the FTC to send you a check instead, or if you have other questions about your payment, please call 1-833-637-4884 to speak to your refund administrator, Rust Consulting. You can also email your request to info@ring.com.