In an interview with The Times this week, Siminoff explained that he understands people’s concerns and that “maybe people were ‘triggered’ by an image in the ad that showed blue rings radiating out from suburban homes. There will be fewer maps in any future ads, he said.”
Graphics in ads are not the problem. The problem is the potential for Ring’s vast network of AI-powered camera technology to be turned into a surveillance tool, one accessible to law enforcement and capable of creating a record of people’s movements that’s searchable by AI (which itself raises concerns around reliability and hallucination). Ring is the only home security camera company to have built a system — called Community Requests — that allows its users to share footage directly with local police.
Ring maintains that its cameras are not being used to create a mass surveillance tool. According to the company, its privacy protections are robust, and users are fully in control of their videos, including whether they share them with law enforcement. But the company still hasn’t fully addressed its users’ fears.
Rather than continue to push his narrative that cameras will solve crime, Siminoff needs to acknowledge the real concerns people have and make it clear how far Ring is willing to take this powerful technology. He needs to explain where — and how — he will draw the line. Will Search Party stop at tracking humans?
Instead, he’s doubling down on the ideas that more cameras are good and more video in the world is better — not surprising from someone who makes money by selling cameras. But he also told The Times that he thinks most people feel this way, even if they say otherwise.
“There’s been a lot of cases recently where if the video had not been there, I’m not sure if the story would have been told the same or we wouldn’t have known what happened,” he told The Times, adding that what Ring does is “not just like unfettered mass surveillance.”
The other concern is around what happens to its video after users share it with the police. While that’s arguably not Ring’s problem, the company has acknowledged that its mission “to make neighborhoods safer” carries significant responsibility. It created this technology and needs to ensure it’s used responsibly.
The argument that camera owners have complete control of how their footage is shared puts the onus on the user. But Ring turned Search Party on by default for everyone, demonstrating that it has the control. There’s also no guarantee that any current default settings will stay that way. Additionally, while the user can choose to share footage, the people captured by the cameras don’t necessarily have that choice.
Siminoff confirmed to The Times that Ring will continue building out Search Party, saying that they’re looking to add searching for cats to its capabilities. But then, what comes next?
All this technology is coming together at lightning speed, and to many, it feels like it’s just one turn away from a dystopian surveillance system.
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#Search #Party #backlash #Ring #avoiding #bigger #questions
![‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/io9-2025-spoiler.png "‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy")
![‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy](https://i3.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/io9-2025-spoiler.png?ssl=1 "‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Originally Had a Much Bleaker Ending
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy wasn’t our favorite mummy movie, but it did have some recommendable qualities, including its high levels of gruesome gore. We also approved of the ending, which offered a satisfying twist to the agony that came before. And while The Mummy‘s test screenings were targeted by some since-debunked negative rumors (look, James Wan just wanted more snacks, that’s all!), apparently those same early showings helped writer-director Cronin figure out that all-important final note for his film. Star Jack Reynor talked about the original ending and the changes that were made, and we’ll add one of these in case you haven’t yet seen Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. At the end of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the characters have all realized that young Katie is possessed by a ferocious demon. She was kidnapped years earlier by her friend’s mother, a character the film calls “the Magician,” for the sole purpose of becoming the next containment vessel for this demon over a period of years.
The sarcophagus and wrappings covered in ancient writing she’s entombed in are meant to trap the demon as part of an obligation upheld by the Magician’s family for generations upon generations. The demon starts to escape when the sarcophagus is moved out of necessity from the Magician’s farm. Instead of relocating safely, the sarcophagus breaks open in a plane crash, and Katie—still alive, albeit mummified and barely clinging to her human soul—is sent from Egypt to New Mexico to reunite with her surprised and thankful mother, father, and two siblings.
The bulk of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy follows the creature formerly known as Katie causing horrifying, escalating chaos, while an Egyptian detective pokes into the case overseas, and Katie’s father, Charlie, played by Reynor, does his own research in a desperate attempt to figure out what’s wrong with his daughter.
At the end of the movie, the detective comes to New Mexico and helps Charlie manipulate the demon into leaping out of Katie and into Charlie. He saves his daughter, but dooms himself. That’s where the movie ended originally, apparently. The version that made it into theaters has an additional scene where the Magician, who’s been jailed for kidnapping Katie, gets a visit from a mummified Charlie. Again with the detective’s help, the demon makes another leap between bodies—this time, freeing Charlie and taking over the Magician’s soul instead.
That was a reshoot, Reynor told the Hollywood Reporter. “We came back and picked it up, which was cool because it was the one day where I actually got to be the Mummy. It’s fun to get into the makeup and get to be part of that legacy,” Reynor said, name-checking the Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee versions of the character. Even beyond becoming part of horror history, though, he understood the reason for the change.
“You make these decisions because you want to give the audience what they want, and I understand that. Is it a better movie, objectively speaking? I don’t know. I did like Lee’s original ending,” Reynor admitted. “But I also understand that if I went to see that movie with my teenage kids and they were bummed out because it was so fucking bleak at the end, maybe I’d be [more in favor of the new ending]. So I get it both ways. I see the merits of both for different reasons.” The new ending is cathartic; after all, the Magician was the one who singled Katie out for years of unimaginable torture, not to mention inflicting torment on her family. She deserves some payback other than prison time. But it also left another lingering question: what happens next?
The Magician was the person in charge of handing down the knowledge of how to contain the demon to the next generation. Now that she’s become its current vessel, who will be keeping an eye out? Presumably, that burden now transfers to her only surviving child—a girl around Katie’s age—who’ll have to select a new innocent victim someday and perform the same ritual once her mother’s body starts to break down. We probably won’t get another Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to explore that further, but thinking about it too much does make the new ending a little less suffused with the gleeful spirit of revenge. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Lee #Cronins #Mummy #Originally #BleakerJack Reynor,Lee Cronin’s The Mummy")
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