Amazon's Ring unit has terminated its partnership with Flock Safety following widespread criticism of a Super Bowl commercial that highlighted a feature called "Search Party." The ad, which showcased Ring doorbells helping locate a lost dog through AI-powered neighborhood video sharing, raised concerns about privacy and surveillance, despite the fact that Search Party was not connected to Flock Safety. The commercial sparked backlash from privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which described the scenario as a "surveillance nightmare." The group warned that the technology could enable widespread tracking of people and animals through consumer devices, even if not currently implemented. Critics argued that the ad promoted a future where biometric identification and continuous monitoring become normalized. In a statement, Ring said it ended the partnership because integrating Flock’s technology would have required far more time and resources than originally expected. The company emphasized that the integration was never completed and that no video data was ever shared between Ring and Flock. Flock Safety confirmed it never received any footage from Ring users. Flock founder Jamie Siminoff defended the technology, stating it was designed to help users and their neighbors, not enable mass surveillance. He argued that the system was built in response to customer demand to be helpful and collaborative. “We built the system based on our customers asking us. They want to help out,” Siminoff told CBS News. However, privacy experts remain cautious. Beryl Lipton, a senior investigative researcher at the EFF, noted that while legal protections for privacy are weak, people still have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their homes and neighborhoods. She warned that the normalization of smart device surveillance could erode those expectations over time. The controversy comes amid growing scrutiny of smart doorbells and their role in law enforcement. Recently, investigators in Arizona recovered video from a Google Nest camera linked to the missing mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, even though the device was disconnected and had no active subscription. This raised concerns about how long data can be retained and accessed. Ring reiterated that its Community Requests feature remains optional and voluntary. The service has been used in real investigations, including the Brown University shooting in December, where it helped police identify a suspect’s vehicle within hours after seven neighbors shared 168 videos. Ring said the feature continues to play a key role in public safety efforts. Despite the backlash, Ring maintains that its mission centers on empowering communities while respecting user choice.