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Amazon-owned Ring, not Amazon.com, Inc. directly, agreed to a court-entered settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in June 2023. The settlement resolved FTC allegations that Ring inadequately restricted employee access to customer videos, used videos for certain purposes without adequate consent, and failed to implement reasonable safeguards against account takeovers.
The order imposed a $5.8 million monetary judgment for consumer redress, required deletion of certain historical data, and mandated a privacy and security program lasting 20 years. The FTC’s refund process continued through a July 2026 distribution to some eligible people who did not accept earlier payments.
The short version
- Defendant: Ring LLC, an Amazon-owned company—not Amazon.com, Inc. directly.
- Settlement date: June 16, 2023, when a federal court entered the stipulated order.
- FTC allegations: Excessive employee and contractor access to videos, inadequate consent for some video uses, and weak defenses against credential stuffing and brute-force attacks.
- Customer impact alleged by the FTC: Unauthorized access involving approximately 55,000 U.S. customers, including access to videos, live streams, account information and device settings in some cases.
- Money: A $5.8 million judgment designated for consumer refunds. The first announced distribution exceeded $5.6 million.
- Current refund status: The FTC’s July 2026 refund page says Zelle payments were being sent to eligible people who did not cash earlier checks or accept earlier PayPal payments.
The settlement is legally significant, but it is not a trial verdict establishing that every allegation occurred exactly as described. The order says Ring neither admitted nor denied the allegations, other than jurisdictional facts.
What the FTC alleged about Ring
The FTC’s complaint alleged two connected categories of privacy and security failures under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
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Employee and contractor access to customer videos
The FTC alleged that Ring gave employees and contractors broader access to customer recordings than was necessary for their jobs. According to the complaint, one employee viewed thousands of recordings belonging to female customers, including recordings from bedrooms and bathrooms. The FTC also alleged that Ring lacked adequate monitoring to determine the full extent of inappropriate access.
The agency further alleged that Ring used customer videos for algorithm training and other purposes without obtaining adequate consent. Because these are allegations resolved through a stipulated order, they should not be described as facts proven at trial.
Account attacks and alleged takeovers
The FTC said Ring experienced multiple attacks in 2017 and 2018 but did not implement multifactor authentication until 2019, and alleged that some later security measures were initially inadequate.
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According to the FTC, attackers used credential stuffing and brute-force attacks. In credential stuffing, criminals try usernames and passwords exposed in unrelated data breaches against another service. Brute-force attacks use automated attempts to guess passwords or commonly used credentials.
That distinction matters: the FTC’s allegation that attackers accessed Ring accounts does not by itself establish that Ring’s own customer database was breached. Reused passwords could allow an attacker to enter a Ring account even when the original password leak occurred elsewhere.
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What attackers allegedly did after gaining access
The FTC said unauthorized users accessed stored videos, live streams and account profiles associated with approximately 55,000 U.S. customers. The alleged incidents varied. The agency described attackers viewing some recordings, changing important device settings and using two-way audio to taunt, insult or threaten household members.
The complaint and FTC announcement included allegations involving harassment of children and older people, racist abuse, sexual propositions and threats against a family that was allegedly told to pay a ransom. Those details illustrate the seriousness of a compromised camera account, but they do not mean every affected account experienced the same type of access or harassment.
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What the 2023 settlement required
The final stipulated order imposed obligations extending well beyond the refund payment.
Deletion of historical recordings and derived data
Ring had to delete or destroy covered recordings collected before March 1, 2018, when those recordings had been reviewed or annotated for research and development. The order also addressed pre-March 2018 face embeddings and models, algorithms and other work products derived from covered recordings.
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If deletion of certain material was technically infeasible, the order required the company to make the specified sworn submission rather than simply retain the material without explanation.
Restrictions on human review
The order restricted human review of customer recordings to specified purposes, including legal requirements, investigations, prevention of harm, protection of legal rights or a customer’s affirmative express consent.
It also required training for employees and contractors with access to covered information, along with controls over permissions and review activity.
Security and oversight requirements
Among other requirements, Ring had to:
- Offer consumers multifactor authentication or an equivalent security option.
- Require multifactor authentication for employees, contractors and affiliates accessing systems that store covered recordings.
- Encrypt covered recordings in transit and at rest.
- Use access controls, logging, monitoring and periodic reviews of employee and contractor permissions.
- Test for network vulnerabilities at least every four months.
- Test products before launch and after material changes.
- Conduct annual penetration testing of specified access controls.
- Obtain an initial independent assessment and biennial assessments thereafter.
The comprehensive privacy and data-security program must remain in place for 20 years. These obligations do not mean every current Ring product has the same vulnerability alleged in the complaint; they are requirements imposed to address the case’s historical allegations and compliance risks.
What Ring said
In its response to the settlement, Ring said it disagreed with the FTC’s allegations and believed the complaint mischaracterized its security practices. Ring said it had addressed the issues before the FTC inquiry.
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Ring also said it made two-step verification mandatory for customers in 2020, added authenticator-app support and CAPTCHA in 2021, and offered video end-to-end encryption as an advanced option in 2021. The company said employees could not view, access or control livestreams and that access to stored videos had been restricted.
These statements are Ring’s characterization of its practices and later changes. They are not an independent finding that every alleged problem was resolved.
How much money was paid, and who may still receive it?
The settlement imposed a $5.8 million monetary judgment intended for consumer redress. That figure should not be confused with the amount in an individual distribution.
On April 23, 2024, the FTC announced more than $5.6 million in refunds through 117,044 PayPal payments. The FTC’s refund information says another distribution occurred in August 2025. Its page marked July 2026 says Zelle payments were being sent to eligible consumers who did not cash earlier checks or accept earlier PayPal payments.
Eligibility is not automatic for every current or former Ring owner. The 2024 distribution involved consumers with certain Ring devices, including indoor cameras, during periods covered by the FTC’s allegations. The current Zelle round is specifically aimed at eligible people who did not accept earlier payments. Check the FTC’s official Ring refund page rather than assuming that product ownership alone qualifies you.
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How to avoid a Ring refund scam
The FTC says legitimate refund recipients do not have to pay money, transfer money or provide a fee to receive a payment. The listed refund administrator is Rust Consulting, and the listed telephone number is 1-833-637-4884.
The July 2026 information says legitimate Zelle payments are deposited directly into the recipient’s bank account with a settlement note. Do not click unsolicited links or provide a password, Social Security number, payment-card information, bank login or gift-card payment to claim a refund. Verify messages through the FTC’s refund guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What current Ring users should do
- Use a unique password. Do not reuse the Ring password on email, banking, shopping or other services. A password exposed in an unrelated breach can otherwise be tried against the camera account.
- Enable the strongest available two-step verification. Where supported, consider an authenticator app rather than relying only on a less secure recovery method.
- Review shared users. Remove former household members, installers, tenants, caregivers or other people who no longer need access.
- Review authorized devices and sessions. Sign out or remove old phones, tablets and browsers.
- Delete recordings you no longer need. Shorter retention reduces the amount of sensitive footage exposed if an account is compromised.
- Understand encryption trade-offs. Advanced encryption may limit sharing, cloud features, recovery options or other functions. Check the specific product and configuration before enabling it.
- Install updates. Keep the Ring app, account software and device firmware current.
- Choose camera locations carefully. Avoid placing internet-connected cameras in highly private spaces when the security benefit does not justify the exposure.
Two-step verification is not a complete solution if the underlying password is reused, an old device remains signed in or a former shared user retains access.
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Should you replace Ring?
The settlement alone does not justify a universal instruction to replace every Ring camera. It concerns alleged historical privacy and security practices and does not independently establish the current security status of every Ring product.
A better decision is to identify the problem you want to solve:
| Priority | What to consider |
|---|---|
| Remote access and convenience | Cloud-connected systems are usually simpler for notifications, remote viewing and sharing, but they depend on an account, vendor infrastructure and the provider’s employee-access policies. |
| Less cloud dependence | Local recording can reduce cloud exposure, but it shifts responsibility for storage security, backups, physical theft and remote access. |
| Stronger privacy controls | Look at retention, encryption, employee access, sharing, disclosure and emergency-response policies—not only camera specifications. |
| Lower subscription costs | Check whether recording history, person detection, extended retention or emergency features require a paid plan. |
| Simple family access | More restrictive security controls can complicate access for family members, caregivers, installers and property managers. |
“Local storage” also does not necessarily mean a system is fully offline. Some cameras still use cloud accounts for setup, notifications or remote viewing. Conversely, end-to-end encryption may restrict features a household relies on. Compare the exact product, app, storage model and account requirements before switching.
Alternatives such as Arlo, Eufy, Reolink, Ubiquiti UniFi Protect and Apple HomeKit Secure Video use different combinations of cloud storage, local recording, platform integration and setup complexity. None should be treated as automatically immune from account attacks, employee-access risks, retention issues or future policy changes.
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Timeline of the Ring case and refunds
- February 2018: Amazon purchased Ring.
- 2017–2018: The FTC said Ring experienced multiple credential-stuffing attacks.
- January 2018: The FTC said Ring began steps to notify customers or obtain consent for extensive human review of videos.
- 2019: The FTC said Ring implemented multifactor authentication, while alleging the initial implementation was inadequate.
- May 31, 2023: The FTC announced its complaint and proposed settlement.
- June 16, 2023: The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia entered the stipulated order.
- April 23, 2024: The FTC announced more than $5.6 million in refunds and 117,044 PayPal payments.
- August 2025: The FTC refund page says a second refund round occurred.
- July 2026: The FTC refund page says Zelle payments were being sent to eligible people who did not accept earlier payments.
Bottom line
Ring, an Amazon-owned company, agreed to resolve FTC allegations involving employee access to private videos, video-data use and defenses against account attacks. The court-entered order provided consumer redress, required deletion of specified historical data and imposed extensive privacy and security obligations for 20 years. For current users, a unique password, multifactor authentication, careful sharing controls, prompt updates and limited video retention remain more useful than assuming that either staying with Ring or switching brands eliminates all camera-security risks.
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