Amazon’s In-Home Security Drone Is Company’s “Most Chilling Surveillance Product” Yet

One of the biggest takeaways from Amazon’s annual product event is the need for constant recording if that is at home or in the car.

If readers see nothing wrong with the proliferation of mass surveillance, nevertheless, a host of always-on surveillance products operated by a mega-corporation, then now could be the time to purchase a camera-mounted drone that can buzz inside your home, searching for intruders or making sure the stove is not on. 

Ring announced the Always Home Cam during the Amazon event on Thursday, a “compact, lightweight, autonomously flying indoor camera” that can fly around the home, searching for disturbances. 

Ever get a Ring Alarm alert and want to immediately see what’s happening? The Ring Always Home Cam is here to help. This compact, lightweight, autonomously flying indoor camera gives even greater visibility when you’re not home. Learn more: https://t.co/A62pZUuYDa [US Only] pic.twitter.com/13cXKtEeSs

— Ring (@ring) September 24, 2020

The tiny drone will retail for $250 and launches if another Ring product is triggered; It can respond to a whole host of emergencies such as break-ins and fires. After launch, the drone flies to the source of the disturbance, producing a live streaming feed for the end-user. 

The technology sounds wonderful, who wouldn’t want a personal security drone monitoring their home, but again, it’s owned by Amazon, which will undoubtedly raise some red flags about privacy. 

Big Brother Watch, a non-profit British advocacy group, described the drone as the “most chilling home surveillance product” yet.

“It’s difficult to imagine why Amazon thinks anyone wants flying internet cameras linked up to a data-gathering company in the privacy of their own home,” Silkie Carlo from Big Brother Watch told BBC. 

“It’s important to acknowledge the influence that Amazon’s product development is having on communities and the growing surveillance market,” Carlo said. 

If readers are aware, Ring recently partnered with more than 400 law enforcement agencies around the country, allowing police access to homeowners’ camera footage if necessary. The partnerships allow police to tap into millions of internet-connected cameras for solving crimes.

Ring’s deals with police fuel broader questions about privacy, surveillance, and the expanding reach of tech giants and local police into private homes.