Ring cameras used to spy on you—is it safe to use smart devices?

A woman uses a Ring doorbell on the outside of a house.

Owners of Ring doorbells are set to receive a $5.6 million refund from the Federal Trade Commission after Amazon employees hacked user accounts and devices to access private video feeds.

The settlement, which is the result of a complaint lodged in May 2023 claiming that Ring's security measures were (in a word) inadequate, seeks to repair the damage done to around 117,000 customers—who'll receive the funds via PayPal.