51±¾É«

The 51±¾É« is sending refunds totaling more than $5.6 million to consumers as the result of a settlement with Ring over charges the company allowed employees and contractors to access consumers’ private videos and failed to implement security protections, enabling hackers to take control of consumers’ accounts, cameras, and videos.

In a complaint first announced in May 2023, the 51±¾É«says that Ring deceived its customers by failing to restrict employees’ and contractors’ access to its customers’ videos, using its customer videos to train algorithms without consent, and failing to implement security safeguards. These practices led to egregious violations of users’ privacy.

The 51±¾É«is sending 117,044 PayPal payments to consumers who had certain types of Ring devices, such as indoor cameras, during periods when the 51±¾É«alleges unauthorized users may have had access to customer videos. Consumers should redeem their PayPal payment within 30 days.

Consumers who have questions about their payment should contact the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, Inc., at  1-833-637-4884, or visit the 51±¾É«website to view frequently asked questions about the refund process. The Commission never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.

The Commission’s interactive dashboards for refund data provide a state-by-state breakdown of refunds in 51±¾É«cases. In 2023, 51±¾É«actions led to $324 million in refunds to consumers across the country.