Ring Gave Itself a Security Makeover Called TAKE. Here’s What’s Actually Changing

Amazon’s Ring security brand will begin rolling out a new encryption standard called Throw Away the Key Encryption, or TAKE, starting in September, a shift that affects how the company handles video footage from its cameras. The change is aimed at US customers who use Ring’s cloud storage and artificial intelligence features, such as video descriptions, familiar face detection, and advanced object recognition. Under TAKE, every video recorded by a Ring camera is encrypted with rotating keys that update periodically. Ring holds one copy of the key in a cloud-based secure enclave, which requires specific permissions to access. When a user has AI features enabled, Ring retrieves that key once, uses it to analyze the footage, then deletes the key, meaning the company can no longer access that video afterward. The user retains a master key for their own access, including for shared users authorized to view clips, until the cloud storage limit expires, with storage starting at 180 days.

Jamie Siminoff, Ring’s founder and chief inventor, said the goal was to provide end-to-end encryption-like security while letting customers keep using the full range of Ring device features. Previously, Ring offered a separate end-to-end encryption mode that users could enable with a password, and that option remains available alongside TAKE. That mode provides the highest privacy level but disables most cloud features, including all AI tools, while still allowing live view, cloud video access, and sharing with the password. Ring’s announcement follows years of scrutiny and lawsuits over its AI-based familiar face technology, which raised questions about how easily and frequently the company could access videos for analysis. The new approach is a significant transparency jump but does not fully clarify whether analysis could include Ring’s own purposes, such as AI training, beyond powering active user features.

The TAKE standard applies only to users with a Ring subscription, as cloud storage is required for the encryption process, and subscriptions start at around $5 for a single camera, with a $20 tier adding advanced AI features and professional monitoring. Users without a subscription can store video locally via a Ring security hub with a microSD card, but that setup also excludes cloud-based AI features, similar to the end-to-end encryption mode. Ring said TAKE will be enabled by default for users and will start rolling out in September, though the company gave no timeline for when all customers will see the update. Most of the change occurs behind the scenes, so users may not notice immediate differences in their app experience.

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