Ring’s strange-looking Car Cam gets leaked, and you should not buy it

Ring is one of the largest manufacturers of home security products, largely thanks to its ownership by Amazon. The company has been repeatedly criticized for its poor data security and partnering with police organizations to create wide-reaching surveillance networks, but Ring is pressing forward with plans for new products. Images of several upcoming products have been discovered, including one for a strange-looking car camera.

The Tape Drive (viaThe Verge) discovered new images for several products Ring currently has under development. Some of the devices have already been shown off, such as the ‘Amazon Fetch’ tracker that mirrors Apple AirTags, and the Ring Auto for car alerts. However, one photo of Ring’s future dashcam — called the Ring Car Cam — was also published (by both The Tape Drive and Zatz Not Funny), which is the first image we’ve seen of the device.

The Ring Car Cam dash camera (Source: Zats Not Funny)

The new Ring Car Cam will supposedly record both the interior and exterior of the car. The design is certainly unique, and it’s not clear exactly how this attaches to a car. The camera could stick to the roof or perhaps attach to the back of a rearview mirror. The camera will supposedly plug into any car’s OBD-II port, which would allow it to receive diagnostic information.

Ring also appears to have published a support article (mirror) early, which includes additional details that have not been previously announced. The Ring Car Cam “helps protect your car wherever it’s parked,” indicating it might only record video when you’re not driving — making this strictly a security camera and not a traditional dash camera. Amazon mentions you’ll be able to say “Alexa, I’m getting pulled over” to record interactions with police.

Ring is expected to sell the camera for $199, with optional LTE connectivity for cloud recording backups. Though, I would heavily recommend not buying one when it does become available, because Ring (and by extension, Amazon) has proven time and time again it is more interested in selling surveillance data to local police than it is protecting its customers.

Featured image: Ring Indoor Cam (credit: Ring)

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