How Satellite Data Turned into a Tool of Warfare

Ring’s Jamie Siminoff has been trying to calm privacy fears since the Super Bowl, but his answers may not help

When Ring founder and CEO Jamie Siminoff decided to use the company’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial to introduce Search Party — an AI-powered feature that uses Ring camera footage to help find lost dogs — he expected Americans to love it. Instead, the TV spot set off a firestorm. In fact, practically since the moment it aired in February, Siminoff has been making the rounds on CNN, NBC, and in the pages of the New York Times, explaining that his critics fundamentally misunderstand what Ring is building. He sat down with TechCrunch a few days ago to make his case again, and while he was candid and plainly eager to reframe the narrative, some of his answers may well raise fresh questions among those already uneasy about the growth of home surveillance.