Yesterday, a judge ruled that the capabilities of the Amazon Ring doorbell breached the UK Data Protection Act after a dispute between neighbours ended up at County Court.

Dr Mary Fairhurst had taken Jon Woodward to court over a mass of CCTV cameras, including Amazon Ring doorbells, being shut up in the local area.

She said it amounted to harassment, a nuisance and a breach of the Data Protection Act.

The main disagreement was sparked by Woodward putting another camera on his neighbour's wall, with his reasoning being that it was to potentially catch people in the act of trying to steal his car.

Backin 2019 three people had attempted to steal Woodward's car from the communal car park, with his placed cameras putting the whole car park and access road under his full surveillance.

Also, as the doorbell cameras could record audio from 40 feet away it wasn't lawful.

The judge at Oxford County Court ruled in favour of Dr Fairhurst in the end.

Amazon UK, which owns the Ring doorbell brand, urged its customers to respect their neighbours’ privacy and comply with ‘any applicable laws’.

Features had been installed on the devices aimed at ensuring others’ privacy, including limits on areas where movement could be detected and the camera switched on.

Will Amazon Ring doorbell owners be forced to get rid of their devices?

According to The Register, the judgment does not set a binding legal precedent.

This can only be done through High Court or Court of Appeal rulings, while county courts merely apply precedents set by the senior courts.

However, the case is bound to be cited in domestic CCTV disputes for years to come.

Whilst current Amazon Ring doorbell owners won't have to get rid of their devices now if a case ends up in more senior courts over the privacy issues the devices could potentially cause, a more serious legal precedent could be set.