Ring Founder Addresses Privacy Concerns After Super Bowl Ad

Jamie Siminoff responds to backlash over Ring's new 'Search Party' feature that uses AI to track lost pets.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Since airing a Super Bowl commercial showcasing Ring's new 'Search Party' feature, which uses artificial intelligence and camera footage to help find lost pets, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff has been on an 'apology tour' to address privacy concerns. Critics, including Senator Edward Markey, have raised issues about the potential for invasive surveillance. Siminoff has defended the technology, saying Ring gives users control over their footage, but acknowledged the ad may have 'triggered' people's fears about privacy and surveillance.

Why it matters

The backlash over Ring's Super Bowl ad highlights growing public unease about the expansion of home surveillance technology and the potential for misuse. As doorbell cameras become ubiquitous, there are concerns about how much data these devices collect and how it could be used, especially by law enforcement. This incident underscores the delicate balance companies like Ring must strike between providing useful tools and respecting user privacy.

The details

Ring's 'Search Party' feature uses AI and camera footage to help users locate lost pets by tracing their movements across a neighborhood. The 30-second Super Bowl ad showcasing this new tool sparked an outcry, with critics calling it 'dystopian' and raising concerns about privacy and surveillance. Since the ad aired, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff has made media appearances to try to allay users' fears, clarifying that Ring does not store footage unless users have a subscription and that users control how their footage is shared. However, Ring had previously faced criticism for partnerships that could have given law enforcement access to user data.

  • The 'Search Party' feature was showcased in a Ring Super Bowl commercial that aired on February 12, 2026.
  • Last week, Ring ended its partnership with Flock Safety, which operates AI-powered surveillance cameras that critics feared could allow government agencies like ICE to access user data.

The players

Jamie Siminoff

The founder and chief inventor of Ring, the company that makes ubiquitous doorbell cameras. He has been on an 'apology tour' to respond to the backlash over Ring's Super Bowl ad.

Senator Edward J. Markey

A Democratic senator from Massachusetts and a critic of corporate data collection, who called out 'the serious privacy and civil liberties risks' in Ring's technology.

Savannah Guthrie

A TV news anchor whose mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing, and whose Google Nest doorbell footage was recovered by law enforcement during the search.

Meredith Chiricosta

A spokeswoman for Ring, who stated that 'camera owners always control how their footage is shared in response to a Search Party request' and that 'nothing is shared by default.'

Davia Temin

A longtime corporate crisis strategist who said Siminoff was emphasizing the most important point by acknowledging Ring wants to give consumers as much control as possible.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

What’s next

Ring says it will continue building out the 'Search Party' feature, including expanding it to help find lost cats, which Siminoff acknowledged was a 'bigger controversy' than dogs prior to the Super Bowl ad.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the ongoing tension between the benefits of home surveillance technology and the privacy concerns it raises. As doorbell cameras become ubiquitous, companies like Ring must carefully balance innovation with respecting user privacy and civil liberties, or risk further backlash from the public and policymakers.