Hannah Richardson, known as @hannierich16 on TikTok, reported that the Ring camera she kept inside her house spoke to her 3-year-old daughter.
In a video with 1.1 million views, Richardson spoke about her experience with her Ring Camera. According to her testimony, a noise blared from the camera. A voice then told her 3-year-old daughter, “It’s OK little girl, stop crying.”
Richardson, devastated and baffled by what she heard, asked her 3-year-old to confirm where the voice was coming from, to which the child responded, “the camera.”
At that point, the mother decided to report the issue as an official complaint to Ring.
“I want to know how many people this has happened to, because I am unwell,” she added at the end of her first post. “I did not sleep last night… Where’s the security?”
Ring takes ‘no responsibility’
According to Richardson in a recent update, Ring has taken “no responsibility” for the issue regarding the company’s camera.
“Honestly she told a lot of lies in our conversation in my opinion so I don’t believe a word she said,” Richardson said of the alleged encounter.
The employee that Richardson spoke to told her that she had to review her Ring footage herself. The customer service coordinator then told her that they Richardson could send the video to Ring for review. “She’s not allowed to pull my video,” Richardson added incredulously, later mentioning a lawsuit against the company because employees illegally surveilled its customers.
Richardson’s third security camera suddenly didn’t have any logged videos on it despite the other two cameras working. According to Richardson, the lack of footage reeks of foul play.
Do Ring security cameras have significant security issues?
Ring has already previously lost a lawsuit and paid $5.8 million to customers affected by hacked home security cameras. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that Ring let employees and “hundreds of Ukraine-based third-party contractors” look through Ring Cameras.
According to the FTC’s business blog, these data breaches eventually led to one teenager being sexually harassed in their home, and an elderly woman being “propositioned and physically threatened.”
Besides the company’s litigation, the cameras themselves are relatively easy to hack. For one, hackers can easily take advantage of insecure Wi-Fi networks and therefore access Ring cameras.
The cameras collect lots of personal information about its customers as well.
How should homeowners secure their security cameras?
Generally, home owners should use a strong secure Wi-Fi network, VPN, and choose reliable smart home devices. If there is a two-factor authentication option for any smart device, customers should enable it to protect their devices. Meanwhile, security camera buyers should regularly change the passwords on their cameras.
TikTok commenters weighed in regarding their preferred security cameras. User @Kathy Devine told Richardson in a comment on her response video, “I use blink! Have had it for three years. No issues!”
User @user1457085230872, however, pointed out that “No security cameras are safe from being hacked! Generally, security cameras aren’t full proof but can be protected and safe with the right additional precautions.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Hannah Richardson. Ring declined to comment.
@hannierich16 If you use Ring indoor cameras beware!!!! Sorry if I’m rambling, I’m still quite unwell #indoorcamera #ringdoorbell #ringcamera #hackers #terrifying ♬ original sound – Hannah ✨
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