Ring’s New Search Party Feature- Useful for Pets but is it Risky for Privacy

Ring’s New “Search Party” Feature: Useful for Pets — Risky for Privacy?

Ring recently rolled out a feature called Search Party, designed to leverage its outdoor cameras to help locate missing pets. On the surface it sounds helpful. But when you dig deeper, the default settings and data-sharing mechanics raise serious privacy questions for homeowners and neighborhoods alike.

What is Search Party and how it works

• When a Ring user posts about a missing pet (via the Neighbors app), others’ Ring cameras in the area are scanned using AI and looking for matches to the pet.

• If the pet is detected, the camera owner gets a notification and can choose to share the footage with the pet owner.

• Crucial detail: Search Party is enabled by default on outdoor Ring cameras, meaning users are automatically enrolled unless they disable it.

Why privacy advocates are sounding alarms

• Consent: Users don’t have to explicitly agree to have their cameras scanned for others’ pet searches. Getting opted-in by default undermines individual choice.

• Surveillance risk: While the feature targets pets, the infrastructure could be repurposed for humans in the future. The company is also rolling out a facial-recognition feature called “Familiar Faces,” increasing concerns.

• Transparency & control: Some users reported discovering the feature only after it was activated. The default opt-in reduces awareness.

• Data sharing implications: Even if the footage isn’t automatically shared, the fact that user devices are scanned in the cloud by default adds a layer of risk many users didn’t expect.

Should you disable it?

If you value strong privacy control, you’ll probably want to disable Search Party. Unless you actively help with pet-search efforts in your neighborhood and are comfortable having your camera feed scanned, turning it off gives you better control over your device and footage.

How to turn off Search Party (step-by-step)

Here’s how to disable Search Party in the Ring app:

1. Open the Ring app on your smartphone.

2. Tap the menu (three lines) and select “Account” or “Settings.”

3. Tap “Neighbors & Search Party.”

4. Locate “Search Party” and toggle the option to Off.

5. If you have multiple outdoor cameras, repeat for each device or verify that the setting is applied to all.

6. Optional: Review your other privacy settings in the app — disable automatic sharing, review who can access footage, and enable end-to-end encryption if available.

(Note: Menu names may vary slightly depending on your Ring app version.)

Final thoughts — balancing innovation with caution

Ring’s Search Party showcases how smart home surveillance can be extended for community benefit. But default enrollment, cloud-based scanning, and minimal user notice raise red flags around privacy and autonomy.

If you own Ring cameras, take a moment today to review what features are enabled by default. Decide if you’re comfortable being part of a real-time scanning network — or if you’d rather keep your cameras private until you choose otherwise.