Critics of the Ring doorbell surveillance technology have written MGM asking it not to debut its new syndicated reality series, Ring Nation, hosted by Wanda Sykes.
The show is a Ring take on Candid Camera and other video-clip shows that have a long history on TV.
In a letter from Fight for the Future and over 40 groups including Media Justice, the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, and the Tech & Immigration Policing Project, they asked Mark Burnett, chairman of MGM Television, and Barry Poznick, president of MGM Unscripted Television, to pull the plug on the show before it debuts later this month.
They said that while the show does get the consent of those appearing on the program, that “in no way protects against the harms stemming from Ring’s surveilling communities at large, especially marginalized communities targeted by police.”
Ring Nation is a synergistic play from MGM parent Amazon, which also owns the Ring product.
Amazon had not returned a request for comment at press time. ■
