Amazon's nightmare surveillance network is going mobile.
Not merely content to film both the outside and inside of your home from fixed points, the company announced Thursday a Ring drone that will fly around the interior of your home, shooting and livestreaming video in the process. Say hello to the Always Home Cam, a product that's very existence poses the question: What the absolute fuck is Amazon thinking?
According to Amazon, its latest connected monstrosity will cost $249. And don't worry, an Amazon liveblog made clear that this aerial peeping Tom won't violate your privacy — unlike, say, the hacker who watched and yelled slurs at an 8-year-old girl through a Ring camera, or the Ring contractors who reportedly watched customer videos... or the Ring employees who tried to watch customer videos.
No, the Ring Always Home Cam won't be like that at all. This one can fly.
"Built with privacy in mind," assures Amazon, "it only records when in flight; when it's not in use, it sits in a dock and the camera is physically blocked."
Amazon insists that the drone is "autonomous," and that it "will automatically fly to predetermined areas of the home."
In other words, the thing will dart around your home without you initiating the surveillance lap.
Notably, images shared of the device include small, barely legible text in the bottom-right corner which reads:
"Ring Always Home Cam has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. Ring Always Home Cam is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained."
We asked an Amazon press contact when Amazon expects to receive the appropriate authorization, but received no immediate response. We also asked about how big the drone is, and were told that the it's approximately 5" high and 7" by 7" in diameter. Our question as to the size of the base, which in the above promotional video looks enormous, was not immediately answered.
SEE ALSO: Surprise, Ring for Android reportedly shares your data with third parties
Large or small, this drone is coming to invade the suburbs. We're sure paranoid soccer dads, snooping Ring employees, and hackers can't wait.
Topics Amazon Cybersecurity Privacy
