Amazon-owned security brand Ring has introduced TAKE (Throw Away the Key Encryption), saying the encryption and control initiative “will become the default encryption for all Ring customers worldwide when fully rolled out.”
“Protecting your videos is a responsibility we take seriously,” the Ring announcement says. “As technology evolves, so does our ability to invent new ways to do things. Today, we are announcing a major privacy milestone: introducing TAKE (Throw Away the Key Encryption), which will be a new standard for default video encryption and customer control in home security.
“Your Ring videos are already encrypted when they travel to the cloud and while they are stored at rest. Now, we’re giving you even greater control. With TAKE, Ring delivers the intelligent features you love and rely on, like Smart Alerts, and then throws away and deletes the encryption key,” according to the announcement.
“Only you retain the keys to your video,” the announcement says. “It’s inspired by the privacy principles customers have come to rely on and trust with E2EE, while maintaining the full Ring experience and suite of features.”
How Does Ring TAKE Work?
With TAKE, Ring videos are protected with “unique, rotating encryption keys,” according to the company announcement. A copy of the keys is temporarily held inside “a secure enclave within the cloud,” comparing it to “a sealed vault that can only provide Ring access to the key under strict, limited conditions.”
“Ring can only receive access to power the intelligent features that you have active on your account and then throws away and deletes the keys,” according to the company announcement. “After that, only you—and any trusted Shared Users that you have chosen to enable—retain the keys to your video on your enrolled devices, like your phone, tablet or computer.”
This setup “allows you to continue to seamlessly interact with your videos and features as you choose, while maintaining full control,” according to the Ring announcement.
“Think of it like house keys,” the announcement says. “The company that made your lock doesn’t keep a copy of the key. You might give a spare to a close friend or family member you trust completely. And if a handyman needs to fix your sink, you lend them a key only for as long as the job takes, then get it back.”
“TAKE works the same way: you hold the master key to your videos and you are the one who decides who gets access to a spare and for what purpose. You are in control of your keys and your videos; it is that simple,” according to the Ring announcement.
TAKE is rolling out to Ring customers in phases starting in September.
