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Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

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Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Former attorney here. I'd guess it would be a claim like defamation or false light. These laws aren't typically used in this way, but I could see them being applied here. For defamation, for example, the claim would be that by including someone's face in an advertisement about home security videos, Amazon is implying that the person pictured is someone whom you would not want snooping around your house because he's a…

That person is on camera attempting to open a car that is (presumably) not theirs, on (presumably) private property. Unless the recording was edited or taken out of context, proving that statement is false is going to be difficult. There is an additional nuance as to whether a sponsored post is an ad or not. They are paid for posts to reach a larger audience, but not necessarily to advertise a product. In this case,…

I agree that in this instance a lawsuit would likely be unsuccessful. I was just putting out a couple legal theories that could be applied to this general fact pattern (Amazon putting a Ring video of you in a security-minded advertisement).

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#62
post #20

On the Ring Neighbors app, you see all sorts of videos where the posters are making criminal accusations all the time. (usually it's a guy selling electricity door to door, but his skin tone is wrong, so they assume he's there to rob the house)

What is “selling electricity doir-to-door?” Is that offering solar on roof services? Cuz I can’t imagine actually selling electricity door to door.

Texas is deregulated, so you have a ton of options to pick from. Common methods are setting up a table at a grocery store or the like, or door-to-door. You also see a lot of cable and alarm sales door-to-door.

On a related note, I went with Griddy, which is actually a cool startup approach to it.

https://www.gogriddy.com/

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#63

On the Ring Neighbors app, you see all sorts of videos where the posters are making criminal accusations all the time. (usually it's a guy selling electricity door to door, but his skin tone is wrong, so they assume he's there to rob the house)

> his skin tone is wrong I'm happy this is pretty close to the extent of "racism" in our society at this point. Really grasping at straws if you have to keep reminding people about the horrors of racism when it comes out as, "Some people are upset that a wrong-colored stranger showed up at their door."

Perhaps in my area it's only non-whites who come to the door with clipboards as that's all I see posted to Ring Neighbors. Or what's posted is a reflection of what scares those neighbors, not who comes to their door.

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the practical difference between a TV show like "COPS" (or any of its various descendants), which features police recordings of its interactions in public with possibly-innocent suspects, and what's happening here? Is it merely the association with a commercial product?

COPS like any TV show blurs people's faces unless they sign a release.

This is out of an abundance of caution, not necessarily because the law requires it. This explains it: https://www.quora.com/Does-the-Cops-TV-show-need-to-get-sign...

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

COPS like any TV show blurs people's faces unless they sign a release.

This is out of an abundance of caution, not necessarily because the law requires it. This explains it: https://www.quora.com/Does-the-Cops-TV-show-need-to-get-sign...

As an atty I am sure you are aware folks can sue and typically he with the most money wins, regardless of law (see:OJ)

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#66
post #12
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The police department stated that she was a suspect; Amazon identified her as a thief, breaking the presumption of innocence that is a bedrock of American society. If the video is fine, the post wording still isn't.

Habeas corpus called & would like to be thawed from deep freeze. The presumption of innocence in American society died a long time ago, with Gitmo, CIA black sites & NSLs. What little was still left, is being killed every day with asylum seeker kids being abused in border ‘shelters’. Long live habeas corpus & the American conscience.

This is codified in law and society has adjusted to it.

Example : Driving used to be considered a right, it has since been reduced to a privilege that gets revoked simply by accusation

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It would be a very unusual circumstance for a person caught on camera performing a criminal act But the person wasn’t caught on camera performing a criminal act afaics. She was caught walking between two cars and pulling at a door handle, the car was locked, person continued. Is this criminal? Kids do that all the time. It’s alleged that the person did perform a criminal act elsewhere but was not caught on camera.

The point is that this person would have to sue. There is no district attorney or third party that would sue Amazon for this action. So it is a calculated risk that they won't sue, absolving Amazon of any actual negative consequence.

> So it is a calculated risk that they won't sue, absolving Amazon of any actual negative consequence.

If that’s the standard that legal and ok gets measured on, yes, then that’s likely legal and ok.

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#68

  In the video, the woman’s face is clearly visible and there 
  is no obvious criminal activity taking place. The Facebook 
  post shows her passing between two cars. She pulls the door 
  handle of one of the cars, but it is locked.
Yeah that's pretty clearly attempting to steal vehicles / contents of vehicles, that's 100% what that looks like.

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#69
post #68

In the video, the woman’s face is clearly visible and there is no obvious criminal activity taking place. The Facebook post shows her passing between two cars. She pulls the door handle of one of the cars, but it is locked. Yeah that's pretty clearly attempting to steal vehicles / contents of vehicles, that's 100% what that looks like.

In a surveillance state, all behavior is by definition suspicious behavior.

Re: Amazon’s Ring Is Putting Suspected Petty Thieves in Its Advertisements

#70
The app itself is entertaining, but a lot of false alarms. My favorite so far was a county worker who tripped my camera with his...i want to say water collection tool...from off camera before hanging a doorknob sign warning of mosquitoes. I took a screen capture while at work and zoomed in on his shirt to see the familiar county symbol.

Most of the crimes are petty...the older generation doesn't always lock their cars..., although one guy shot up a barbershop a mile or two away, killing several barbers. Good to know. Also, I know why that police chopper is circling or what caused that fire in the distance. My neighbors are pretty good at being on the DL, but this is a lot faster. Not as good as a scanner, but my local PD refuses to be on the internet scanner apps anyway.

Not to say that even the police reports get it right. Shoplifting and armed robbery aren't the same.

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