Amazon’s smart home company Ring is introducing a new encryption standard called TAKE (Throw Away the Key Encryption) that will become the default method for protecting user videos and supporting cloud-based features.
The company said the new approach is designed to provide stronger privacy protections while allowing Ring to continue offering features that can be limited by traditional end-to-end encryption, including video search, video descriptions, and shared trusted users.
Ring said TAKE will use rotating encryption keys that are temporarily stored in the cloud and accessible only to the company when needed to provide active-user features. After a request is completed, the encryption keys will be deleted within 24 hours.
Balancing privacy and smart camera features
Unlike full end-to-end encryption, which prevents service providers from accessing encrypted content, TAKE temporarily allows Ring to decrypt and process videos for specific cloud services.
The company said this enables features such as Smart Alerts, which can notify users when cameras detect people, vehicles, or packages.
“With TAKE, Ring delivers the intelligent features you love and rely on, like Smart Alerts, and then throws away and deletes the encryption key. Only you retain the keys to your video,” Ring said in a blog post.
According to Ring’s technical white paper, the encryption system was developed using the foundation of Messaging Layer Security (MLS), an open messaging standard created by the Internet Engineering Task Force.
Ring said users who lose access to a device and purchase a replacement can recover encryption keys by authenticating themselves near their Ring cameras. The company also supports recovery methods including passphrases, cloud backups, approved devices, and passkeys.
TAKE will become Ring’s default worldwide
Ring said TAKE will begin rolling out to customers in September and will become the default encryption standard globally. Users will still have the option to enable end-to-end encryption manually.
The announcement comes after Ring faced criticism over its Familiar Faces feature, which uses facial recognition technology to identify visitors. In June, a class action lawsuit accused Amazon of storing images of people captured by cameras without consent.
