Jamie Simonoff, founder of Ring, won't let me call him the CEO. He says his title is and always has been 'chief inventor.' His mission with Ring is to make the world safer, and he has a pretty expansive view of what that means. He told The Verge last month he thought Ring could 'almost zero out crime' in some neighborhoods within a year or two.

That's a big promise — and also potentially a very troubling one, as we face the erosion of privacy and a surveillance panopticon that only ever seems to expand.

Read the full interview transcript on The Verge.

Links:

• Ring CEO: Cameras can almost ‘zero out crime’ within 12 months | The Verge
• Ring plans to scan everyone’s face at the door | The Washington Post
• Ring’s Search Party is on by default; should you opt out? | The Verge
• Ring now works with video surveillance company Flock | The Verge
• US spy agencies getting a one-stop shop to buy personal data | The Intercept
• Do Video Doorbells Really Prevent Crime? | Scientific American
• Ding Dong: How Ring went from Shark Tank Reject to Everyone’s Front Door | Amazon

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Credits:

Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

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