Ring Doorbell, cameras, etc.

[Deleted]

Devices like the Ring doorbell are increasingly popular.  Some local privacy advocates are posting stuff about the lack of security in data sharing by Ring, claiming that Ring video is going to be shared with local law enforcement without individual consent, etc.  The links they post are also promoting other devices.  I'm not tech savvy enough to know if the anti-Ring stories posted are genuine or not, but their promotion of other companies makes me suspicious.  

Do any of you have a Ring doorbell or other device and what's your read on the security and privacy concerns?  We have multiple non-Ring cameras and my neighbors have verbally attacked us for years because they fear I'm impinging on their privacy (no, I don't care who your dealer is or your baby daddy.  And your custody issues are yours and if you want to know what time the kid was dropped off, get your own camera).  Until their houses are burglarized and they want a copy of my cameras' footage.    

[Deleted]

I have a Ring doorbell.  If someone wants to go through thousands of videos of chickens and possums and snow and whatever else triggers it (usually about 50 times a day) they can have at it.  I don't run outside in front of it naked and don't really care if anyone sees anything on it since it's what's going on outside anyhow.  

Lately I mainly use it to make sure the kids are shoveling snow when I'm at work.  

[Tennesseer]

Dec 1, 2019 19:36:47 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I have a Ring doorbell.  If someone wants to go through thousands of videos of chickens and possums and snow and whatever else triggers it (usually about 50 times a day) they can have at it.  I don't run outside in front of it naked and don't really care if anyone sees anything on it since it's what's going on outside anyhow.  

Lately I mainly use it to make sure the kids are shoveling snow when I'm at work.  

Thank goodness Ring wasn't around when I was a kid sixty some years ago. It would not have seen me shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, or raking the leaves like I was supposed to be doing.

[dannylion]

I just got a Ring doorbell (it was part of an Amazon Black Friday package).  I haven't set it up yet.  I am hoping to be able to identify the critter that has been terrorizing our end of the street for the past several months.  It has stolen garden décor from a planter on my porch, absconded with a large potted tomato plant complete with tomato cage (found weeks later under a bush in the woods), knocked over my neighbor's heavy concrete birdbath, dug up and tried to carry off some wrought iron garden ornaments from the same neighbor's yard, and devoured all manner of ornamental plants and vegetables.  I suspect it is the groundhog.  One neighbor thinks it's deer, but that seems unlikely, except for the devouring incidents.  Maybe my Ring doorbell will catch the critter the next time it gets up to mischief.  We're pretty sure it's not people since no one can approach any of the houses at our end of the street without furious dog-barking erupting from all directions.  

[Artemis Windsong]

A couple of GFs have ring.  One knows when the lawn is being mowed.  Another had ring tell her there was something in the back yard.  We couldn't identify the critter.

She also used it after a party.  We had stayed to cleanup and did not go in the house again.  One of the other guests snuck in the house and moved the knickknacks around.  She thought we did it.  Called and beotched us out.  All I said was you can check your ring on what time we left and got into our car.  The drive home, getting into the garage at our house and unloading pot luck dishes took at least 5 minutes.  The culprit had left the party early.  Climbed over the back fence and went in the door on a deck.  With all the cameras in the neighborhood, they knew who did it.

I'm not even sure that is a crime.  Those people were not invited back.  I should have told the hostess what scoundrels they are.  It feels like I'm crying wolf until they do something.  That couple continually gets away with nasty stuff like that.

[Deleted]

Dec 1, 2019 20:57:40 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

A couple of GFs have ring.  One knows when the lawn is being mowed.  Another had ring tell her there was something in the back yard.  We couldn't identify the critter.

She also used it after a party.  We had stayed to cleanup and did not go in the house again.  One of the other guests snuck in the house and moved the knickknacks around.  She thought we did it.  Called and beotched us out.  All I said was you can check your ring on what time we left and got into our car.  The drive home, getting into the garage at our house and unloading pot luck dishes took at least 5 minutes.  The culprit had left the party early.  Climbed over the back fence and went in the door on a deck.  With all the cameras in the neighborhood, they knew who did it.

I'm not even sure that is a crime.  Those people were not invited back.  I should have told the hostess what scoundrels they are.  It feels like I'm crying wolf until they do something.  That couple continually gets away with nasty stuff like that.

WTF?  Why? 

[raeoflyte]

Dec 1, 2019 20:57:40 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

A couple of GFs have ring.  One knows when the lawn is being mowed.  Another had ring tell her there was something in the back yard.  We couldn't identify the critter.

She also used it after a party.  We had stayed to cleanup and did not go in the house again.  One of the other guests snuck in the house and moved the knickknacks around.  She thought we did it.  Called and beotched us out.  All I said was you can check your ring on what time we left and got into our car.  The drive home, getting into the garage at our house and unloading pot luck dishes took at least 5 minutes.  The culprit had left the party early.  Climbed over the back fence and went in the door on a deck.  With all the cameras in the neighborhood, they knew who did it.

I'm not even sure that is a crime.  Those people were not invited back.  I should have told the hostess what scoundrels they are.  It feels like I'm crying wolf until they do something.  That couple continually gets away with nasty stuff like that.

You keep the strangest company...

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Dec 2, 2019 16:37:11 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Dec 1, 2019 20:57:40 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

A couple of GFs have ring.  One knows when the lawn is being mowed.  Another had ring tell her there was something in the back yard.  We couldn't identify the critter.

She also used it after a party.  We had stayed to cleanup and did not go in the house again.  One of the other guests snuck in the house and moved the knickknacks around.  She thought we did it.  Called and beotched us out.  All I said was you can check your ring on what time we left and got into our car.  The drive home, getting into the garage at our house and unloading pot luck dishes took at least 5 minutes.  The culprit had left the party early.  Climbed over the back fence and went in the door on a deck.  With all the cameras in the neighborhood, they knew who did it.

I'm not even sure that is a crime.  Those people were not invited back.  I should have told the hostess what scoundrels they are.  It feels like I'm crying wolf until they do something.  That couple continually gets away with nasty stuff like that.

You keep the strangest company...

It makes me think of this movie

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_Tract

[Deleted]

Dec 1, 2019 18:32:43 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Devices like the Ring doorbell are increasingly popular.  Some local privacy advocates are posting stuff about the lack of security in data sharing by Ring, claiming that Ring video is going to be shared with local law enforcement without individual consent, etc.  The links they post are also promoting other devices.  I'm not tech savvy enough to know if the anti-Ring stories posted are genuine or not, but their promotion of other companies makes me suspicious.  

Do any of you have a Ring doorbell or other device and what's your read on the security and privacy concerns?  We have multiple non-Ring cameras and my neighbors have verbally attacked us for years because they fear I'm impinging on their privacy (no, I don't care who your dealer is or your baby daddy.  And your custody issues are yours and if you want to know what time the kid was dropped off, get your own camera).  Until their houses are burglarized and they want a copy of my cameras' footage.    

Where I moved from, the neighbor across the street had cameras on the front of their house. I didn’t know how far the range of view was, but wouldn’t have cared at all if they could see my house or who came and went from my property. It’s not like I ever ran around my front yard nekkid.

We’ll be installing cameras soon. I don’t want a Ring. Besides making that known, I’m leaving the details up to DBF. There are only 2 houses in our cove and with the way they’re situated, I think we’d have to go out of our way to have a camera on our property get a view of theirs.

[Tiny]

I bought a Ring doorbell a couple of weeks ago.  Haven't had time to set it up yet. 

I don't currently have a working doorbell... so I actually need a doorbell - and I figured I'd join the 21st century and have the camera too.  

That said, I see many of my neighbors post video of porch pirates and people going thru cars on the street that they got from their doorbell (I assume it's the doorbell). 

I'm not really sure how that makes anything more secure - you can't id the porch pirate or the people checking cars.     I suppose if you can be notified immediately of the pirate/theives on the street AND you can call the local police right away maybe it would help... but really I don't want to be woken up endlessly during the night (I live on a street with alot of traffic) nor do I want to be monitoring my phone endlessly during the day....  So, I'm not really sure how much "security" it actually adds. 

Personally, I'm hoping the camera catches the local wildlife - there's a hawk that visits my front porch railings and all sorts of other wildlife.        that's what I really want to see - what crosses my porch and front lawn.  

[Anne_in_VA]

We have had a Ring doorbell for over a year now and love it.  I can see when someone is on my front porch and can speak to whomever rings my doorbell.  It notifies my phone when someone rings it and I can talk to them even if we’re not hone.  I recently had someone ring it and even though I wasn’t home, I told them I couldn’t come to the door right now and asked what they wanted.  Turned out it was a package delivery and I told them to just leave it.  They had no way of knowing if I was hone or not.  Gives me peace of mind to be able to see who’s at the door before I decide to answer (or not).

[Artemis Windsong]

Dec 2, 2019 16:37:11 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Dec 1, 2019 20:57:40 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

A couple of GFs have ring.  One knows when the lawn is being mowed.  Another had ring tell her there was something in the back yard.  We couldn't identify the critter.

She also used it after a party.  We had stayed to cleanup and did not go in the house again.  One of the other guests snuck in the house and moved the knickknacks around.  She thought we did it.  Called and beotched us out.  All I said was you can check your ring on what time we left and got into our car.  The drive home, getting into the garage at our house and unloading pot luck dishes took at least 5 minutes.  The culprit had left the party early.  Climbed over the back fence and went in the door on a deck.  With all the cameras in the neighborhood, they knew who did it.

I'm not even sure that is a crime.  Those people were not invited back.  I should have told the hostess what scoundrels they are.  It feels like I'm crying wolf until they do something.  That couple continually gets away with nasty stuff like that.

You keep the strangest company...

Sports leagues attract all kinds of characters.  Some bad apples.  I am also not in charge of the guest list.

[Artemis Windsong]

Dec 1, 2019 21:32:57 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Dec 1, 2019 20:57:40 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

A couple of GFs have ring.  One knows when the lawn is being mowed.  Another had ring tell her there was something in the back yard.  We couldn't identify the critter.

She also used it after a party.  We had stayed to cleanup and did not go in the house again.  One of the other guests snuck in the house and moved the knickknacks around.  She thought we did it.  Called and beotched us out.  All I said was you can check your ring on what time we left and got into our car.  The drive home, getting into the garage at our house and unloading pot luck dishes took at least 5 minutes.  The culprit had left the party early.  Climbed over the back fence and went in the door on a deck.  With all the cameras in the neighborhood, they knew who did it.

I'm not even sure that is a crime.  Those people were not invited back.  I should have told the hostess what scoundrels they are.  It feels like I'm crying wolf until they do something.  That couple continually gets away with nasty stuff like that.

WTF?  Why? 

That woman is a real bad apple.  When she was a head librarian, she would get school teachers fired.  Make the single women very sick.  When they would wake up, she was there caring for them.  She went to my home town to see my brother before he died.  He said she was one of the nicest people to him.  I asked him if she gave any information on his finances and yes he had.  The neighbor was his bookkeeper.  I don't know if she got money or not.  A real con woman and people keep being friends with her.   It's unreal.

[Deleted]

Dec 2, 2019 20:00:34 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Dec 1, 2019 21:32:57 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

WTF?  Why? 

That woman is a real bad apple.  When she was a head librarian, she would get school teachers fired.  Make the single women very sick.  When they would wake up, she was there caring for them.  She went to my home town to see my brother before he died.  He said she was one of the nicest people to him.  I asked him if she gave any information on his finances and yes he had.  The neighbor was his bookkeeper.  I don't know if she got money or not.  A real con woman and people keep being friends with her.   It's unreal.

Not quite the same thing, but I worked with a woman I use to call Lucifer. She was charming and funny, people thought she was great! but I use to think she was the devil. 

Another coworker use to ask me why people couldn’t see her for who she was, I’d just shrug and say that’s how the devil is, and her “friends” would eventually learn that she meant them no good.

One by one, a few of them did over the years. Despite her charming personality, she’s just really not a good person and they learned that the hard way.

I don’t really think she’s a demon, I think she has some kind of personality disorder or is emotionally stunted something. She’s the kind of person that can sleep with your husband, let it be known that she has nude pictures of herself in your home  and still smile and giggle with you the whole time..... and all of you work together. That was painful to watch even though I didn’t have anything to do with any of it. She’s also the kind of person to laugh at funerals. Who does that?! She said it herself and I’ve seen it for myself at a coworker’s child’s funeral and another coworker’s mother’s funeral.

Sorry to go so far off topic. Artemis’ post just reminded me of my co-worker.

[thyme4change]

Is Ring 'privacy' issues any different from the security cameras on every street, the ones over the freeways and the ones in all the gas stations and other businesses?

[raeoflyte]

Dec 2, 2019 19:53:13 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Dec 2, 2019 16:37:11 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

You keep the strangest company...

Sports leagues attract all kinds of characters.  Some bad apples.  I am also not in charge of the guest list.

Sure every group has its crazies but it's not normal to have large groups of them. I think you should look for different sports groups. Life is too short to choose to spend it with assholes.

[zibazinski]

Dec 2, 2019 20:30:04 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Dec 2, 2019 20:00:34 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

That woman is a real bad apple.  When she was a head librarian, she would get school teachers fired.  Make the single women very sick.  When they would wake up, she was there caring for them.  She went to my home town to see my brother before he died.  He said she was one of the nicest people to him.  I asked him if she gave any information on his finances and yes he had.  The neighbor was his bookkeeper.  I don't know if she got money or not.  A real con woman and people keep being friends with her.   It's unreal.

Not quite the same thing, but I worked with a woman I use to call Lucifer. She was charming and funny, people thought she was great! but I use to think she was the devil. 

Another coworker use to ask me why people couldn’t see her for who she was, I’d just shrug and say that’s how the devil is, and her “friends” would eventually learn that she meant them no good.

One by one, a few of them did over the years. Despite her charming personality, she’s just really not a good person and they learned that the hard way.

I don’t really think she’s a demon, I think she has some kind of personality disorder or is emotionally stunted something. She’s the kind of person that can sleep with your husband, let it be known that she has nude pictures of herself in your home  and still smile and giggle with you the whole time..... and all of you work together. That was painful to watch even though I didn’t have anything to do with any of it. She’s also the kind of person to laugh at funerals. Who does that?! She said it herself and I’ve seen it for myself at a coworker’s child’s funeral and another coworker’s mother’s funeral.

Sorry to go so far off topic. Artemis’ post just reminded me of my co-worker.

I know a woman like that. Karma has visited her. Of course she got even with me first.

[Deleted]

Dec 2, 2019 22:01:50 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Is Ring 'privacy' issues any different from the security cameras on every street, the ones over the freeways and the ones in all the gas stations and other businesses?

Good point.  I'm not as concerned as some of my neighbors to say the least.  We do not, yet, have security cameras in our neighborhood.  It's been proposed and will be contentious to say the least.    

[Deleted]

Dec 3, 2019 17:40:57 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Dec 2, 2019 22:01:50 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Is Ring 'privacy' issues any different from the security cameras on every street, the ones over the freeways and the ones in all the gas stations and other businesses?

Good point.  I'm not as concerned as some of my neighbors to say the least.  We do not, yet, have security cameras in our neighborhood.  It's been proposed and will be contentious to say the least.    

I feel like it’s safe to assume that whenever I leave my home, I’m on a camera somewhere. I know there aren’t cameras on every single street I travel and building I enter (yet!), it just seems smart to assume there is. Maybe I’m just weird, it’s been said before.

[thyme4change]

Dec 3, 2019 17:40:57 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Dec 2, 2019 22:01:50 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Is Ring 'privacy' issues any different from the security cameras on every street, the ones over the freeways and the ones in all the gas stations and other businesses?

Good point.  I'm not as concerned as some of my neighbors to say the least.  We do not, yet, have security cameras in our neighborhood.  It's been proposed and will be contentious to say the least.    

Yes, when I said "every street" I was thinking about major streets in the city, not neighborhood streets. My bad.

[Artemis Windsong]

Dec 2, 2019 22:20:34 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Dec 2, 2019 19:53:13 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Sports leagues attract all kinds of characters.  Some bad apples.  I am also not in charge of the guest list.

Sure every group has its crazies but it's not normal to have large groups of them. I think you should look for different sports groups. Life is too short to choose to spend it with assholes.

I have distanced myself from them.  I'm spending several months in another state and will avoid them when I get back.

[zibazinski]

I want one. I thought I was getting one for Christmas but I got the Biltmore and Downton Abbey experience instead.