Ring adopts new TAKE encryption standard for smart home devices

Ring, Amazon's smart home division, announced Wednesday it is implementing a new encryption standard called TAKE (Throw Away the Key Encryption) as the default for video encryption and user control. This new standard aims to enhance user privacy while still enabling certain cloud-based features, based on information published by TechCrunch.

The TAKE standard utilizes a rotating set of encryption keys that are temporarily stored in the cloud and accessible by Ring to power active user features. These keys are deleted within 24 hours of a request's completion. This allows Ring to temporarily decrypt and process videos for features like Smart Alerts, which notify users of people, vehicles, or packages. The company stated that TAKE is built on the open Messaging Layer Security (MLS) standard. Users can recover their encryption keys by authenticating near their Ring cameras if they lose access to a device, or through other methods like a passphrase or cloud backups.

The rollout begins in September, with TAKE as the default, though users can opt for end-to-end encryption. This move follows recent criticism of Ring's facial recognition features and a class-action lawsuit regarding image storage.

Source: TechCrunch