Ring introduces a new encryption standard, makes it the default for cloud features

Amazon’s smart home division, Ring, announced Wednesday that it is making a new encryption standard called TAKE, or Throw Away the Key Encryption, the default for video encryption and user control. The company said the standard is designed to protect user privacy without relying on end-to-end encryption, which it said can limit features like video search, video description, and sharing access with trusted users. This change affects Ring customers in the U.S. and globally, as the standard will roll out as the worldwide default starting in September.

Under the TAKE system, Ring uses a rotating set of encryption keys that are temporarily stored in the cloud and can only be accessed by the company to power features the user has active. Once a requested task is completed, Ring said it deletes the keys within 24 hours. This approach lets the company temporarily decrypt and process video so it can offer cloud-based features such as Smart Alerts, which notify users when people, vehicles, or packages appear in the camera’s field of view.

In a blog post, Ring said the standard allows it to deliver intelligent features like Smart Alerts and then discard the encryption key, leaving only the user with permanent access to their video. The company’s white paper on the standard says it was built on Messaging Layer Security, an open messaging standard developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force. Ring said TAKE also includes recovery options: if a user loses a device and buys a new one, they can stand near the Ring cameras to authenticate and regain their encryption keys, or they can use a passphrase, cloud-based backups, another approved device, or passkeys for account recovery.

The company said TAKE will be gradually introduced to customers beginning in September and will become the default standard worldwide. Users will still have the option to manually choose end-to-end encryption instead of TAKE. The announcement comes after months of criticism over Ring’s Familiar Faces feature, which uses facial recognition to identify visitors.

In June, a class action lawsuit accused Amazon of storing images of passersby without consent, adding to privacy concerns around Ring’s products. Ring’s shift to TAKE appears to address those concerns by offering a middle ground between full end-to-end encryption and the need for cloud-based processing. The company has not indicated whether the lawsuit or criticism directly influenced the new standard’s development.

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