hypervisibleFeb 19
Mark Hurst

I spoke with Chris Gilliard - aka @hypervisible - about the Ring commercial, and the problems of spreading big tech surveillance & AI, on Techtonic this week.
https://techtonic.fm/episodes/2026-02-16-chris-gilliard-on-amazons-admission-that-ring-spies-on-us/

Make note of that image below with the blue circles, as it will come up in the next post.

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Chris Gilliard on Amazon’s admission that Ring spies on us | Techtonic with Mark Hurst on WFMU

When the Amazon Ring commercial aired during the Super Bowl, many people were horrified to realize that Ring can spy on them and their neighbors. Privacy expert Chris Gilliard discusses what people should know about Amazon’s “luxury surveillance.”

Techtonic with Mark Hurst on WFMU
Feb 19 at 8:24pmWeb
Show threadMark HurstFeb 19

The NYT interviewed the Ring founder today about the ad. He said that “maybe people were ‘triggered’ by an image in the ad that showed blue rings radiating out from suburban homes.”

As Chris Gilliard says: right, the MAP is the problem.

Gift link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/business/ring-super-bowl-ad-privacy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NVA.t8OD.78ib3VLjIE6p&smid=url-share

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Ring’s Founder Knows You Hated That Super Bowl Ad

Since the commercial aired, Jamie Siminoff has been trying to quell an outcry over privacy concerns with his doorbell cameras.

The New York Times
Show threadMark HurstFeb 19

The actual problem, of course, is that **people don't want to live in a surveillance state**. Yet that is Ring's business model (and Amazon's) - encouraging people to install surveillance devices in their homes, on their bodies, etc. for the benefit of the Big Tech company that owns the devices.

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Show threadMark HurstFeb 19

Specifically, the business model is to:
- spy on people in their day-to-day lives
- analyze the data & draw conclusions
- monetize that knowledge by selling access to advertisers & authoritarians
- promote a culture of fear and suspicion in society, so as to increase dependence on surveillance

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Show threadMark HurstFeb 19

All of Big Tech is getting in on this. Amazon has Ring, Google has nest, and Apple - in addition to its Watch (surveillance) and iPhone (surveillance) devices - is reportedly working on its own doorbell camera, using FaceID to identify anyone in view.

But that's not all.

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Show threadMark HurstFeb 19

Surveillance cameras are also being sold to organizations for use on their premises, so that tech companies can get data on residents - shoppers - even worshippers at religious services. (More on that in a minute.)

Point is that surveillance cameras aren't just on individual homeowners' doors.

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