Will your Ring security camera know your face soon? Maybe. There have been rumors circulating for months that Ring may be implementing facial recognition into its security cameras. While Ring hasn’t come out with any new facial recognition features yet, it looks like it may be considering it. New features may also include vehicle license plate reading.
Last week, the company sent out a survey to some beta testers and screenshots of the survey were obtained by Ars Technica. The survey included questions about whether the testers would consider face detection and license plate detection important features. Typically, companies send out surveys like this to determine if certain features are something their customers would be interested in, so it’s very likely that Ring may be considering face detection and license plate detection.
These additions may be concerning considering the security problems that Ring has faced over the past year. While the company has tried to make up for the lapses with things like cam covers and initiatives to combat hacking through mandatory two-factor authentication, it still may have not repaired its reputation enough for the public to be ready for it to handle facial recognition and license plate reading technology.
If implemented, face detection and license plate detection may be helpful to law enforcement in catching potential criminals captured on Ring cameras, though. Ring has already announced initiatives to aid law enforcement and fire departments through their Neighbors app so these new features could be another step in aiding first responders. On the other hand, it could create major concerns for those who are worried about the expansion of Big Brother control through camera surveillance.
We reached out to Ring and a spokesperson told Digital Trends, “These features are not available on Ring devices, but are available on similar products from other device makers. Like many companies, we regularly engage with our customers to better understand the types of products and features they might find useful. Privacy is foundational to us, and any products and features we develop include strong privacy protections and provide customers with privacy controls.”
