SoylentNews

upstart writes for AnonymousLuser:

Everything Cops Say About Amazon's Ring Is Scripted or Approved by Ring

Amazon's home security company Ring has garnered enormous control over the ways in which its law enforcement partners are allowed to portray its products, going as far as to review and even author statements attributed to police in the press, according to emails and documents obtained by Gizmodo.

This summer, Ring even urged a Florida police department to delay announcing its partnership with the company for weeks, telling officials that it preferred to keep the spotlight on a separate initiative launched by the city, designed to incentivize the purchase of its home surveillance products.

[...] Contracts and other documents obtained from police departments in three states show that Ring pre-writes almost all of the messages shared by police across social media, and attempts to legally obligate police to give the company final say on all statements about its products, even those shared with the press. (In exchange, police are also given the ability to approve any Ring press releases that directly reference the partnering police agency.)

[...] Ring said in a statement that its subsidy programs are different than those it enacts directly with law enforcement. "Because these programs are negotiated and implemented separately, we strive to also keep communication around these programs separate," it said. "This helps residents clearly understand each program, their benefits, and their unique differences."

When police departments do eventually go public about partnering with Ring, the announcements are invariably scripted almost entirely by the company itself. Last Thursday, Motherboard reported, for example, that police in Lakeland, Florida, signed an agreement not to issue any public statements about the partnership unless they are first vetted by the company. This practice appears to be widespread.

Gizmodo found that similar language—"The parties shall agree to a joint press release to be mutually agreed upon by the parties"—was included in Ring documents signed by multiple police departments, including those in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Frisco, Texas. Motherboard also reported that the Lakeland contract required police to "encourage adoption of the platform/app" and stipulated that police "keep the terms of this program confidential." Two different agreements reviewed by Gizmodo contained the exact same language.

[...] Ring appears to take full advantage of the privilege granting it power over police statements. The company actively crafts various types of messages that, to the general public, are seemingly written by the police themselves. Through records requests in California, Florida, and Texas, Gizmodo obtained details about Ring's so-called "press packets" issued to partnering agencies. These include a "Press Release Template," "Social Media Templates," and "Key Talking Points," as well as high-resolution Ring and Neighbors App logos "to incorporate with PR materials as needed."

What's more, the packets are accompanied by instructions dictating that final drafts of public remarks must be sent to Ring so that the company's PR team can "review and sign off" before they're sent to local news outlets. The social media templates, which Gizmodo obtained from the Frisco Police Department, are also widely in use. No fewer than 33 police departments have copied and pasted Ring's suggested tweet asking residents to "Join us by downloading the free 'Neighbors' app."

Original Submission