“Creepy”–The Most Slammed Superbowl Ad Was Ring’s “Search Party”–Find Out Why

The concept is noble and perhaps solid, but for some, it's creepy.

 Ring Doorbell's new Search Party Feature Triggers Reactions

If you paid close attention to the Super Bowl Ads,you may have been Ring Doorbell's :30 Ad about their new Search Party Feature. Now, the ad has been said to be the 'creepiest' of all the ones that aired during the game.

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Search Party, which actually debuted late last year, turns on eligible Ring cameras by default, unless you specifically opt out.  What triggers their response? When a Ring Owner reports a lost dog via the App, all neighborhood or area cameras 'turn on' and record footage. (image from Ring Doorbell Search Party Super Bowl Ad YouTube)

The hope is to create a large neighborhood 'scan' where the dog might be spotted and returned to its owner. Now, a Ring camera owner has to opt out if they don't want their camera 'turned on,' and if footage of the animal is captured, it does NOT go to the dog owner.  It's up to the camera owner who got the footage to share with the person searching for the animal.

And the footage is temporary, it expires, and so does the search unless it's renewed.

Many Say the Footage Could be Misused?

 Geekwire reports reactions to the Super Bowl ad were that is was "creepy" and "dystopian,"  some claimed, what's to keep the footage from being used to search for wanted persons etc.?  Ring and Amazon, their owner, says the metrics for the Search Party App are not 'designed' to look for people, but much of the controversy is over privacy--especially given today's social climate.

Watch the video for yourself, and decide.  As far as we know, the ad, for now, has been pulled from TV rotations.