Ring, the smart doorbell maker owned by Amazon, has ended its partnership with Flock Safety, a police surveillance technology company, following public backlash. The decision, announced after a Super Bowl ad featuring a lost dog found through a network of cameras, sparked concerns about a potential dystopian surveillance society, according to Fortune.
The partnership, announced last year, aimed to allow Ring camera owners to share video footage with law enforcement upon request through Ring's "Community Requests" feature, as reported by Fortune. While the ad did not directly promote the Flock partnership, it amplified existing anxieties about surveillance. Ring and Flock cited a "comprehensive review" as the reason for the cancellation, according to Fortune, without explicitly mentioning the ad.
In other news, an Islamist party has become Bangladesh's main opposition for the first time in the country's history, as reported by NPR Politics. The Jamaat-e-Islami party, part of an 11-party alliance, secured 77 of 300 seats in recent polls, according to final results. This shift challenges the traditional dynastic political system, despite ongoing concerns about the party's policies.
Meanwhile, a curling scandal has emerged from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Canadian curler Marc Kennedy was caught on a hot mic cursing at Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson during a match, according to NPR News. The incident, which occurred during the Canada vs. Sweden match, has raised questions about the "spirit of curling" and the future of the sport.
In media news, Anderson Cooper is set to leave CBS News' "60 Minutes" after nearly two decades, according to Variety. The departure is the latest in a series of setbacks for the newsmagazine. CBS News executives were unavailable for immediate comment, according to Variety.
Finally, the filming of "Crime 101" was a "love letter to Los Angeles," according to Variety. The heist thriller, directed by Bart Layton and starring Chris Hemsworth, utilized locations such as an Echo Park mural and the Sixth Street Bridge.
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