February 15, 2026
Puppies vs Panopticon
Amazon, Google Unwittingly Reveal the Severity of the U.S. Surveillance State
From “find my dog” to “watch my block” — commenters call it creep city
TLDR: Amazon’s Ring Super Bowl ad touting a dog-finding feature sparked fears of a neighborhood-wide surveillance network; EFF blasted it, and Amazon ditched a police-tech partnership. Commenters split between “this is everywhere” and “Big Tech hides U.S. surveillance,” with archive links and “dog-face ID” jokes capping the panic.
A Super Bowl tearjerker turned privacy horror: Amazon’s Ring hyped “Search Party,” a feel-good feature that finds lost dogs by activating nearby doorbell cams and scanning every pup until yours pops up. The crowd didn’t swoon — they screamed “surveillance grid.” The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) warned it’s a preview of biometric tracking everywhere, while USA Today said people are literally ripping Ring cams off their doors. Amazon rushed to calm nerves, axing a partnership with police-tech firm Flock Safety — not the same feature, but the vibes were bad enough (report).
Commenters went full popcorn mode. One camp: “This is everywhere, Amazon just got cocky” — a nod to that ad flex on the biggest stage (watch). Another camp dragged Google’s Nest by association: smart homes, dumb privacy, same story. The geopolitical angle lit up too: “China is upfront; the US hides it behind Big Tech,” sparking whataboutism brawls and eye-rolls. And of course, the archive-link militia rolled in with receipts (archive, Wayback).
Jokes flew: “dog-face ID,” “Alexa, find my neighbor,” and “opt-in until cops opt you in.” Bottom line: what was sold as a lost-puppy reunion looked, to many, like the neighborhood becoming a reality show where privacy is the punchline.
Key Points
- •Amazon’s Super Bowl ad showcased Ring’s “Search Party” feature, which can use AI and participating cameras to locate a lost dog from an uploaded photo.
- •The article says Ring’s capability to link multiple cameras raises concerns about neighborhood- to wider-scale surveillance, despite being opt-in.
- •The Electronic Frontier Foundation condemned the program, warning of biometric identification risks and potential conflicts with some state laws.
- •Media coverage cited in the article reports some users removed or destroyed Ring devices after the ad.
- •Amid backlash, Amazon announced it ended a Ring partnership with police surveillance firm Flock Safety, though it was unrelated to Search Party.