Plus: Meta’s facial recognition glasses get opposing explanations; Pinterest claims more monthly searches than ChatGPT.
Ring is rolling back a partnership with Flock Safety after criticism of the partnership arose. A Super Bowl ad promoted Flock’s AI-driven “Search Party” tool, which is designed to help find missing pets or assist law enforcement in investigations.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation described the technology as a “surveillance nightmare,” arguing it demonstrated how easily consumer camera networks could be scaled into broader monitoring systems, CNBC reports.
On social media, some users accused the company of enabling mass surveillance. Others said they would reconsider purchasing Ring products altogether.
This week, Ring said the partnership had been canceled.
In a blog post, the company said:
“After careful consideration, Ring and Flock have decided not to move forward with our planned integration. While we were excited about the potential benefits this collaboration could bring to communities, we determined that bringing this integration to life would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated.”
Ring also emphasized that the technology was never put into place.
“The integration never went live, and no customer videos were ever shared with Flock as part of this effort,” they said. “At Ring, our mission has always been to make neighborhoods safer. That mission comes with significant responsibility—to our customers, to the communities we serve, and to the trust you place in our products and features.”
The company reiterated that users retain control over whether they share footage with law enforcement.
According to PeakMetrics, Ring generated more than 80,000 mentions on X and “Boycott and cancellation language appeared in 17.1% of all brand-relevant conversation, with a viral thread urging consumers to discard Ring cameras generating 920+ retweets per instance.”
Why it matters: Ring did little to address the actual backlash here. Even though they said that no integration ever went live, the perception of where the company was headed was enough to spark distrust.
When you’re a company that deals in security, people are already on alert. So even if no data was shared and the product never went live, the idea of the partnership alone was enough to raise red flags.
Saying “no videos were shared” is an important reassurance. But it doesn’t automatically lessen fears about where things are headed next. Ring emphasized that user control and protecting privacy were top priorities, but the explanation feels more like an excuse after pushback rather than a decision based on timing.
When you misstep, own it. Acknowledge concerns. Spell out the guardrails. And don’t assume people will connect the dots in your favor.
Editor’s Top Reads:
- Meta wants to bring facial recognition technology to its smart glasses. The “Name Tag” feature would be a part of the company’s Ray‑Ban smart glasses, letting the glasses identify people and display information about them through Meta’s AI assistant. The company originally removed facial recognition from its services years ago because of privacy concerns, but internal documents suggest it has been quietly working to bring the technology back. “We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns,” according to a document from Meta’s Reality Labs, reviewed by the NYT. Publicly though, Meta took a more measured approach, saying: “We’re building products that help millions of people connect and enrich their lives. While we frequently hear about the interest in this type of feature — and some products already exist in the market — we’re still thinking through options and will take a thoughtful approach if and before we roll anything out.” There’s a clear gap between what Meta’s internal documents indicate and what it’s telling the public. It looks like the company might be trying to hide its true intent, quietly finding a moment to avoid criticism, while publicly portraying itself as cautious and ethical. This disconnect will no doubt make the public question Meta’s transparency and trustworthiness, both now and for any future claims.
- Pinterest posted quarterly earnings that fell short of Wall Street expectations, causing a 20% drop in its stock. During the earnings call, CEO Bill Ready pointed to a different metric to shift the focus. Pinterest claims it sees more monthly searches than ChatGPT. “That makes us one of the largest search destinations in the world. And importantly, more than half of those searches are commercial in nature, compared to, I think . . . approximately 2% [of ChatGPT searches],” he said on the call, per TechCrunch. If this is accurate, it would mean users are looking for products and ideas tied to purchases, which the company argues makes its search activity especially valuable to advertisers. By pointing to its high search numbers, the company can show its value as a dominant tool for discovery-focused content and ads, drawing brands that want to reach users who are actively searching for ideas. Compared to other platforms like Google, TikTok, Instagram or ChatGPT, Pinterest seems to be focusing on capturing “long-tail” searches, while the others handle more direct or transactional queries.
- Love is in the air! Well, maybe not for everyone. A noticeable group of people online are rejecting traditional Valentine’s Day celebrations and instead sharing content that pokes fun at the holiday or highlights alternatives to couple‑focused romance. Mashable reports that many posts and trends emphasize humor, self‑love, friendship or critiques of how commercialized V-Day is. The trend shows that the holiday doesn’t resonate the same way for everyone anymore and brands are responding. The Bronx Zoo is running its “Name a Roach” campaign where for $15 people can use to the opportunity to name a critter after their ex, or The Archive, a book store in South Carolina is hosting a “Shred Your Ex” night in an event that’s about “community, closure and choosing yourself.” Brands can take advantage of this trend by aligning with how people are actually engaging with Valentine’s Day, rather than sticking to traditional lovey-dovey messaging. Social listening is a good first step, it helps identify what people are talking about. From there, brands could create campaigns that feel playful, inclusive or even a little irreverent.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
The post The Scoop: Ring pulls Flock Safety partnership after Super Bowl ad backlash appeared first on PR Daily.
