Delivery drivers, including Amazon’s own workers, face the greatest threat to their privacy

Amazon Response Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (December 10, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today released the latest findings in response to his probe into Amazon’s doorbell company, Ring. The findings highlight a glaring lack of privacy protections for individuals who are unknowingly subjected to Ring’s new facial recognition technology (FRT) feature, “Familiar Faces,” which Amazon announced in October and released this week. Senator Markey wrote to Amazon in October, requesting that it abandon its plans to integrate FRT into Ring doorbells and asking key questions about Amazon’s privacy practices.

In response to Senator Markey’s October letter, Amazon revealed that Ring's privacy protections only apply to device owners and not members of the public. Ring has no policies to secure consent from individuals subject to its FRT – a technology with a documented record of inaccuracy, especially for communities of color – and no process for such individuals to control their biometric data. These privacy failures are especially dangerous for delivery drivers – many of whom deliver packages on behalf of Amazon – whose faces may be scanned and stored by Ring every time they drop off a package, without consent or safeguards.

“Despite my warnings, Amazon unleashed a new privacy nightmare on the American people by releasing its Ring doorbell facial recognition feature without any meaningful privacy protections,” said Senator Markey. “This is a giant step toward a dystopian future where Americans cannot leave their homes without being tracked and surveilled. By releasing this feature during the holiday season, Amazon is forcing delivery drivers, including its own drivers, to potentially surrender their biometric data each time they drop off a package. This reckless expansion of facial recognition technology isn’t innovation—it’s a privacy crisis.”

In response to questions in Senator Markey’s October letter, Ring:

• Failed to extend its so-called “robust privacy protections” beyond device owners, leaving individuals whose face is unknowingly scanned by a Ring doorbell with no right to consent to the facial scan and no control over their biometric data;
• Provided no explanation for how Ring obtains consent from individuals subjected to FRT, other than instructing device owners to comply with local laws;
• Disclosed that device owners may retain biometric data, including “tagged” face scans, indefinitely;
• Required individuals who are subject to FRT from a Ring doorbell and want to delete their biometric data to request deletion from each device owner, forcing delivery drivers to potentially make separate deletion requests at hundreds or thousands of homes; and
• Reported that the number of law enforcement agencies on its Neighbors Public Safety Service has grown from 2,161 in 2022 to 2,723 today, an increase of nearly 600 agencies in three years.

Senator Markey has consistently questioned Amazon’s Ring doorbell data privacy practices and relationship with law enforcement. In 2019, Senator Markey sent two letters to Amazon, raising concerns about Ring’s partnership with over 400 police departments and Amazon’s alarming disregard for basic privacy protections. In 2022, Senator Markey sent a follow up letter to Amazon, highlighting the company's ongoing privacy violations and unchecked data sharing with police departments.

###