Your doorbell may soon greet your visitors by name… whether you want it to or not.
Amazon’s Ring is rolling out a facial recognition feature called Familiar Faces. And while it promises helpful alerts like “Mom at Front Door,” critics say it could also scan plenty of people who never signed up for a cameo.
As the feature rolls out, it’s already raising questions about how much AI belongs at the front door. The rollout begins in the US after its September announcement, positioning Ring as the latest smart home device to deepen its reliance on AI amid growing concerns about biometric data collection.
How Familiar Faces works
TechCrunch reported that Amazon introduced Familiar Faces at an event earlier this September, alongside updated Ring cameras and new AI tools.
According to TechCrunch’s previous coverage, the feature enables Ring users to recognize visitors’ faces and locate lost pets by connecting with neighbors who also use Ring devices. Amazon also rolled out an Alexa+ feature that acts as a smart doorbell assistant, alerting users to a visitor before they open the door.
As reported by TechCrunch, Amazon stated that the Familiar Faces feature allows you to create a catalog of up to 50 people by tagging them in the Ring app. Once labeled, Ring cameras compare approaching faces to the catalog and send alerts identifying the person rather than issuing generic motion notifications.
Ring says the feature is optional and disabled by default. Users must manually add and maintain the catalog, and Ring claims that the face data is encrypted and can be edited or removed at any time.
According to Amazon, “Ring owners can use the feature to help them disable alerts they don’t want to see — like those notifications referencing their own comings and goings, for instance.”
Privacy concerns resurface
Privacy groups and lawmakers have already pushed back on the rollout.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), in comments shared with TechCrunch, said, “Knocking on a door, or even just walking in front of it, shouldn’t require abandoning your privacy.” Senator Edward Markey echoed the concern, as cited by TechCrunch, calling the rollout a “dramatic expansion of surveillance technology.”
According to EFF, “Today’s feature to recognize your friend at your front door can easily be repurposed tomorrow for mass surveillance.”
EFF raised concerns that Amazon’s Search Party tool, designed to help locate missing dogs by tapping into neighbors’ camera feeds, could be misused by law enforcement to track individuals. However, Amazon currently maintains that it lacks the technical infrastructure needed to fulfill law enforcement requests for comprehensive lists of all cameras where a specific person has been detected.
Other outlets highlighted broader ecosystem risks. Digital Trends noted that Ring’s facial recognition rollout could increase biometric data exposure across neighborhoods and heighten scrutiny of smart home surveillance practices.
TechCrunch also pointed to Amazon’s past privacy and security issues, including a 2023 Federal Trade Commission fine related to broad employee access to user videos, fueling continued skepticism about the feature’s safeguards.
What users should weigh before enabling
For homeowners, Familiar Faces may help reduce unnecessary notifications and improve visibility into who approaches their property. However, for neighbors and casual visitors, it raises questions about involuntary biometric capture and how long those data points persist.
Privacy laws can also complicate the picture. As EFF noted, states with stricter biometric privacy rules, including Illinois and Texas, as well as cities like Portland, Oregon, have blocked the feature from launching locally.
As Ring expands AI-powered identification features, IT leaders and individual users need to consider how convenience, compliance, and the broader impact of this technology on community privacy intersect. This consideration is particularly important if multiple households and communities adopt similar tools across public spaces.
To learn practical steps for reducing smart home and data security risks, read TechRepublic’s guide on how to protect and secure data.
