The 404 Media Podcast

Episode: Ring Is Back and Scarier Than Ever

Date: February 11, 2026
Hosts: Joseph, Sam Cole, Emanuel Mayberg, Jason Kebler

Episode Overview

This week, the 404 Media team dives into their recent projects and ongoing investigations—most notably, the wild journey of buying a Super Bowl TV ad in one of America’s smallest media markets. The latter part of the episode shifts focus to a far more serious trend: the return and escalation of Amazon’s Ring as a key player in consumer surveillance, highlighted by its controversial Super Bowl ad. The hosts dissect the implications of Ring’s new AI-driven features and what they mean for privacy, civil liberties, and the future of so-called “luxury surveillance.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. 404 Media Buys a Super Bowl Ad

(03:10–22:54)

The “How We Did It” Breakdown

• Whimsical Idea Becomes Reality

  • Jason got the initial idea after casually seeing a Super Bowl mention on Bluesky:

    “I saw something about the Super Bowl like 10 days ago... and I thought, we should buy a Super Bowl ad.” (04:22, Jason)

  • He researched regional ad buys—a much cheaper alternative to national commercials—by googling “smallest media market in the United States.”
  • Ottumwa, Iowa (media market: ~25,000 people) became the target, leveraging the local KU station’s remaining Super Bowl ad slots.

• Navigating the Purchase

  • The ad cost $2,550 (discounted for not using an agency).

    “Because we didn’t use an agency to buy the ad, we just bought it ourselves. So we saved like $450.” (08:33, Jason)

  • They referenced The Verge’s 2015 local-market ad as partial inspiration.

• Super Bowl Ad Production

  • The team wrote and recorded the ad in record time, emphasizing 404 Media’s values.

    “What are we if not cheap and quick?” (13:13, Sam Cole)

  • Evie Kwong (social media manager) edited it together.
  • The process highlighted how “just doing stuff” is often easier than people assume:

    “You can just do stuff. You can just do that. It does not actually involve, like, expensive experts…” (19:45, Sam Cole)

Reception & Aftermath

• Documenting the Ad

  • A major challenge was finding Ottumwa locals to confirm the ad actually aired. Dozens reached out in response to a podcast callout.
  • Only three people were actually there watching when it aired, but multiple media outlets covered the feat.

    “I think about a hundred people probably signaled me or emailed me saying that they had a connection to Ottumwa, which is super interesting for a town of 25,000 people. But only, I think, like, three people were actually there at the moment.” (17:44, Jason)

• Notable Quotes & Humor

  • “Congratulations on being the single most expensive 404 Media podcast listener…” (21:37, Joseph)
  • The possibility of future shenanigans (Times Square ad? NYSE bell ringing?) is on their minds.

• Meta-Observations

  • The team reflects on how such stunts reveal the “demystification” of supposedly exclusive media/advertising spaces and their own creative process:

    “I feel like that’s a common denominator in a lot of things that we do—just, just do stuff.” (19:45, Sam Cole)

2. Ring’s Dystopian AI Comes to the Super Bowl

(27:57–48:39)

The Super Bowl Ad & Product Evolution

• Ring’s “Search Party” Feature

  • The ad touts AI-enabled lost pet detection: upload a photo, and every Ring camera in the area scans to help owners track down missing pets.
  • New features like “Familiar Faces” (facial recognition for humans), and Firewatch (wildfire detection) indicate a shift from passive to active, AI-powered surveillance.

    “They have launched this new feature called Search Party…if you lose your dog, you will be able to upload a photo…and it will activate all of the Ring cameras in your neighborhood to look for this dog using artificial intelligence.” (29:04, Jason)

• User Consent & Defaults

  • The feature appears enabled by default, with some users scrambling to opt out after the announcement.

    “I was seeing what users were experiencing and it looked like it was enabled by default and people were teaching one another, ‘Well, I don’t want to be part of this search party feature—how do I turn it off?’” (32:06, Joseph)

• Immediate Online Reaction

  • The ad was panned on social media for dystopian undertones:

    “Kind of like uniformly online, people [think] this [is] super dystopian…people correctly were like, I don’t think this is for dogs.” (33:40, Jason)

Ring’s History: From Cop Partnerships to Viral Pivot, Back Again

• Early Years: Cozying Up to Law Enforcement

  • Ring rapidly built thousands of surveillance-sharing partnerships with police, gifting cameras and swag, in exchange for community buy-in.

    “The ways that Ring went about signing up cops was really wild in my opinion—giving them free stuff, parties, that sort of thing.” (37:04, Jason)

  • These partnerships allowed police warrantless access to user footage.

• The “Nice” Viral Video Era

  • Following public scrutiny, Ring temporarily softened its image by leaning into viral, “wholesome” content (e.g., delivery drivers, promposals—even a failed TV show “Ring Nation”).

    “Ring started to pitch itself more as this goofy gadget.” (41:31, Jason)

• Reversion: Back to Full-Throttle Surveillance

  • Founder Jamie Siminoff returned in 2025, bringing renewed focus on police partnerships and AI-driven surveillance.

    “From the get-go, he’s like: police partnerships are back…we are doing surveillance again.” (41:52, Jason)

  • The “luxury surveillance” framework (per Chris Gillard) positions Ring as a consumer product for privileged homeowners but with broad, chilling implications:

    “This is a surveillance dragnet we have built ourselves…with the pressures of capitalism…tied into consumerism…it is now turned into this nationwide surveillance dragnet that is being networked together and AI is being added to it. I don’t think it’s going to end well for us.” (44:14, Jason)

Flock Partnership & Speculation about ICE

(44:43–48:39)

• Clarifying Rumors
  • There is widespread misinformation that Flock’s partnership means ICE can access Ring cameras.

    “There is absolutely no evidence of that…What is happening is that Flock…brings together license plate readers…and the idea is to bring Ring footage into that so police can request from Ring camera owners more easily…” (45:11, Joseph)

  • Jason underscores the importance of being precise with speculation:

    “It’s kind of tricky because I do think that this is something to be very concerned about…But…it is inaccurate at the moment to say that ICE has access to Ring footage.” (46:36, Jason)

  • The potential remains, underscoring the need for continued vigilance.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the DIY spirit:
  “You can just do stuff. It does not actually involve, like, expensive experts in the advertising industry…” (19:45, Sam Cole)

• On Ring's pivot: “Ring is bought by homeowners…tied into consumerism, our media ecosystem…the fact that for a long time now there’s been this idea that our neighborhoods are getting a lot more dangerous even though the crime stats don’t back that up.” (43:13, Jason)

• On the Super Bowl ad's effectiveness:
  “Congratulations on being the single most expensive 404 Media podcast listener…” (21:37, Joseph)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Super Bowl Ad Journey (start to finish): 03:10–22:54
• Ring’s Super Bowl Ad Discussion Begins: 27:57
• Search Party and AI Features Explained: 28:28–33:40
• Ring History & Image Rebrand: 35:22–44:14
• Flock Partnership, ICE Rumors, and Fact-Checking: 44:43–48:39

Final Thoughts

The episode artfully slips from self-aware newsroom capers into sobering analysis of surveillance tech’s creep into everyday life. The story of 404 Media’s own Super Bowl ad is surprisingly accessible, even inspiring—proof that even small, scrappy outlets can play with big media, if they’re willing to DIY it. But the Ring segment carries a clear warning: consumer-centric surveillance technology is evolving rapidly and often outpaces the legal and ethical frameworks that might restrain it. The hosts—mixing irreverence with clear expertise—strike a balance between entertainment and solid public interest journalism.

For Listeners

Whether you came for the antics or the investigative reporting, you’ll walk away understanding how easy it is to disrupt traditional media—and how much harder it is to rein in privatized surveillance “innovations” like Ring. For ongoing updates and bonus stories, 404 Media encourages listeners to subscribe and participate.