Thousands of Ring doorbell users to receive slice of $5.6 million payout in just DAYS over camera footage lawsuit - check if you're eligible

Ring doorbell users could be in-line for cash as part of a $5.6 million settlement after the firm was charged with failing to protect private video footage.

A 2023 complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused the Amazon-owned company of allowing its employees and contractors to access customers' private videos.

The doorbell camera and home security provider allegedly used footage from its cameras to train algorithms without consent. 

Ring was also charged with failing to implement key security protections, which enabled hackers to take control of customers' accounts, cameras and videos. This led to 'egregious violations of users´ privacy,' the FTC noted. 

Some 117,044 Ring customers will receive a payment worth around $47 each via PayPal within 30 days. Full details can be found on the FTC website.

Ring doorbell users could be in-line for a refund as part of a $5.6 million settlement after the firm was charged with failing to protect private video footage

Today, Ring's CEO is Liz Hamren who took on the role last year - after the FTC complaint

It affects only those who had certain types of devices including indoor cameras during the timeframes regulators allege unauthorized access took place. 

The settlement also required Ring to delete content that was found to be unlawfully obtained and establish stronger security protections. 

In a statement sent to The Associated Press, Ring said that bad actors took emails and passwords that were 'stolen from other companies to unlawfully log into Ring accounts of certain customers' who used the same credentials on multiple sites back in 2019 - adding that the company promptly addressed this by notifying those it discovered to be 'exposed in a third-party, non-Ring incident' and taking action to protect impacted accounts.

Ring did not immediately address the FTC's allegations of employees and contractors unlawfully accessing footage.

Earlier this year, the California-based company separately announced that it would stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users, marking an end to a feature that had drawn criticism from privacy advocates.

The settlement comes after years of concerns over popular doorbell and home surveillance cameras.

Back in January, Ring said it would stop sharing footage with police departments and other public safety agencies.

The firm was founded back in 2011 by entrepreneur Jamie Siminoff who was inspired to create the doorbell security footage after he found he kept missing deliveries, according to Amazon. At the time it was called 'Doorbot.'

It was later renamed to Ring but Siminoff's concept was famously rejected by entrepreneurs on the reality TV show Shark Tank in 2013. It was sold to Amazon in 2018 for $1 billion. 

Today, its CEO is Liz Hamren who took on the role last year. She was not at the helm when the alleged privacy breach took place.

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