When comedian and actress Wanda Sykes signed on to present a show called Ring Nation, which is due to air in some parts of the United States next month, she might not have anticipated that it would become the target of a US senator’s ire.
The series is billed as a You’ve Been Framed or Candid Camera type collection of lighthearted clips taken from people’s doorbell videos. It is made by MGM, which is owned by Amazon, which also owns home-security firm Ring, making it a family affair. It should have been an easy gig. I imagine Harry Hill narrates You’ve Been Framed in his pyjamas, with one eye on the football results. Sykes could crack jokes about people tripping over their doorsteps in her sleep. But Senator Ed Markey has spent considerable time investigating Ring and its questionable practices over such minor matters as civil liberties and privacy. In July, he revealed that Amazon had given Ring footage to law enforcement officials 11 times this year, without the user’s consent.
