Amazon's Ring May Be Branching Out Beyond Outdoor Cameras

The Amazon panopticon may soon be getting a few new eyes. From a report: In February 2018, Amazon paid $1 billion to acquire Ring, the connected-camera doorbell company whose founder was once rejected on Shark Tank. Since then, Ring has been integrated with other Amazon services, allowing live feeds from its devices on Amazon Echo Shows and leading to new products such smart floodlights. Ring has also helped Amazon to flesh out its rather creepy Key service, where users with Ring doorbells (and other connected products) can choose to let people and deliveries into their homes remotely. Ring has also been building up its Neighbors app, which allows Ring users to share their camera footage with people who live nearby, allowing them to see if they believe any crimes have been committed nearby.

Ring has also forged partnerships with more than 50 police departments, leading to communities that are effectively surveilled by the police, through the camera company owned by the US's largest e-commerce company. Amazon is apparently not stopping there with its one-stop viewing. The company recently received trademarks, uncovered by Quartz, for multiple products that bear the Ring name, including Ring Beams, Ring Halo, and Ring Net. All three trademarks are listed as covering a range of uses, many matching what Ring products currently offer, including internet-connected security cameras, alarm systems, lighting, and cloud video storage.

Amazon's Ring

[Anonymous Coward]

One ring to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them.

Re:

[stealth_finger]

If the good side had won WW2, we would have colonized Mars by now, with peace on Earth. Sadly, the dark side won, and it's been actively ruining everything we had built up.

Martians weren't in WW2. They probably could have done some damage though ACK!

Glad I'm not having kids

[Anonymous Coward]

I am really glad I am not bringing any new lives into this terrible world. Good grief, the human experience just keeps getting worse and worse all the time.

Sounds like a movie plot

[tatman]

When I read this my first thought was "i Robot"----where someone in a big powerful corporation has nefarious plans to take over the world through seemingly innocent technologies that everyone lets into their homes.

Re:

[sound+vision]

A movie came to mind? There have been several powerful corporations doing this for the last decade or two. Amazon is almost playing catch-up here.

Re:

[tatman]

Yes, you are right. Maybe its just the trade mark names: "ring"......

Ring Beams

[Larry Lightbulb]

The LED light company "Mr Beams" was bought by Ring, who were in turn bought by Amazon. So discovering "Ring Beams" isn't a good example of investigative journalism.

double standard

[marcle]

If the government built a surveillance network like Ring, there would be outrage, probably lawsuits, etc.
However, if a private company builds a surveillance network, they can do so without oversight, and can then turn around and give that data to the government. A distinction without a difference.

Re: double standard

[Archangel_Azazel]

Never heard it put quite that way but damned if I don't agree with you on that.

Fix defective designs

[Que_Ball]

I would like Ring to own up to their defective designs in the ring pro model camera. There is a small internal lithium polymer battery that fails after a few years. It cannot be replaced and they will not fix it.

When this battery fails the ring pro will spontaneously reboot when attempting to activate your internal bell as it needs to run on this battery while the bell is getting powered. If you disable the internal doorbell kit and only let it ring their app or their wifi chimes it will n