Amazon expands end-to-end video encryption to battery-powered Ring devices

Ring's battery-powered video-doorbells-slash-surveillance cameras can finally turn on end-to-end encryption (E2EE). The move expands this privacy and security feature, which debuted last year in its hard-wired and plug-in Ring devices.  "We believe we should offer a full range of privacy options to as many customers as …

[Anonymous Coward]

Finally, we're safe from the "cops" perusing our vidjayos now. Yep, nobody can see the torrid videos of dogs peeing on my flowers except me, unless they have "the key". And we all know nothing like NSA_KEY is buried in the firmware, right? I mean, Ring (and hence, Amazon) wouldn't lie to us plebesusers about who has or hasn't accessed our vidjayos. Even were they under a court-ordered gag-order, they'd still find a way to let freedom ring and tell us we're being surveilled, right? Yeah, of course they would. The underdog always wins in the Disney movies, and everybody gets to continue on with their happy lives.

[Mayday]

Hey AC, I can't understand what you're saying.

EDIT: I just smoked some crack. I think I get it now.

[Anonymous Coward]

OK, it took quite a bit of effort to parse, but after that I cannot wholly disagree with the suspicion expressed in that post. Their three letter agencies have been at it so long that even their backdoors have backdoors..

[Woodnag]

Video only accessible on specific devices?

So how to submit a video to, say, a court as evidence is it can only be viewed on a phone?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Video only accessible on specific devices?

There is an export button in the Ring app that lets you save an unencrypted copy on your device. You can then share it with a court, your WhatsApp friends, or anyone else you want. So if you want to provide the video to someone, or if a court compels you to, it is possible. It's just not possible for anyone to view the video without you agreeing (or without them compromising your device).

[Gene Cash]

Trust Amazon?

Not being able to audit any part of this means we're just basically down to "Amazon SAYS it's encrypted"

Even assuming they're not straight-up lying, they could have done any number of stupid coding mistakes to render the encryption just a waste of CPU cycles.

[Anonymous Coward]

E2EE

So customers can't trace & see what they're uploading when they're phoning home?

[GreggS]

Devil's in the detail

So key here is "customer's enrolled mobile device". According to the blurb;

"With this option enabled, your video content is encrypted with a unique key generated by your Ring device, and this key is only shared with the mobile devices you select. Only you have the key to decrypt the videos.

Please Note: Enabling End-to-End Encryption will disable some of the features you get with Ring devices. For example, you can't watch Live View from enrolled Ring devices on an Alexa device. Also, any Shared Users you've added will lose access to Ring devices you enrol."

So you can enrol a few devices under your own account by the sounds of things, but any "shared" users (not logged in under your account) within your household can no longer access them. Plus you lose the love view function on any Alexa devices. hmmm...

[Robert Carnegie]

Re: Devil's in the detail

What is "the love view function" of a door camera, is it when your teenagers are saying good night on the porch... or is it neighbourhood dogs.

[An_Old_Dog]

The Devil's in the Details / Weasel-worded Statement

Allowing only the user to view their Ring videos on the user's phone does not mean that other parties -- Amazon, police, Amazon data customers, etc. -- are prevented from viewing those videos on a device which is not the user's phone.

"End-to-end encrypted" could mean "encrypted via ROT13".