Amazon Ring video doorbell ruled to invade neighbour privacy

The use of a Ring doorbell by a UK house owner violated the privacy of his neighbour, a judge ruled.

In a landmark case, Dr. Mary Fairhurst successfully argued that the Ring doorbells installed by her neighbor, Jon Woodard, violated data protection laws and contributed to harassment. 

The court found that the devices captured personal data from individuals unaware of their presence, including audio recordings that were particularly problematic. 

Judge Melissa Clarke emphasised that the automatic audio recording feature, which was not able to be disabled until 2020, constituted a breach of the UK Data Protection Act and GDPR regulations. 

The ruling was seen to highlight the potential harms associated with these kinds of surveillance devices, including emotional distress and privacy violations for individuals living nearby.