New surveillance capabilities for home security systems prompt Albany response

ALBANY — A new bill would place limitations on internet-connected doorbells and security cameras, as critics question whether the devices enable what are essentially neighborhood surveillance networks.

The proposed legislation from state Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) would require consumers to opt into some features that are automatically turned on and address privacy and civil liberties concerns.

Earlier this month Amazon’s Ring doorbell camera company ran a Super Bowl ad to introduce a new feature called Search Party that received significant backlash. In the commercial, the feature relies on artificial intelligence and images from multiple cameras to locate a lost pet.

Eric van der Vort, May’s legislative director, said the bill was not in response to the Ring ad but to broader concerns. He said it is meant to address security camera companies’ shift toward searchable neighborhood networks, along with the use of AI tools, concerns over data-sharing and the use of footage for other purposes, such as algorithm development.

"Recent marketing and public attention around coordinated surveillance features have highlighted how these platforms are changing," van der Vort said. As these systems expand, he said, it is appropriate for state law to set clear guardrails that protect consumer choice and privacy.

Amazon did not respond to an email seeking comment. In recent days the company sought to tamp down criticism of the new feature. It announced it was ending a partnership with Flock, a surveillance camera company. The companies said the partnership would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated.

Amazon also emphasized in statements to multiple media outlets that the Search Party feature was meant to track lost dogs, not people.

Van der Vort noted that while doorbell cameras are not new, the ecosystem around them has changed. The bill is meant to ensure the state’s privacy laws keep up with those changes, he said.

"It ensures that participation in coordinated surveillance systems is voluntary, that consumers understand how their data is used, and that core device functionality is not conditioned on broader data sharing," he wrote.