Business Insider reports that e-commerce and tech giant Amazon recently filed a patent for its Ring doorbell cameras that describes new tech enabling the devices to identify “suspicious” people based on their skin texture, walking style, and voice.
The Ring patent, filed and awarded in the United States, is named “Neighborhood Alert Mode,” and essentially works as a digital neighborhood watch device. The patent would allow Ring doorbells to share a picture or video of a person it decides is suspicious to other Righ users in the area. Their doorbells will then begin recording the “suspicious” person even if the target never approaches the homeowner’s door.
Amazon’s patent lists a startling list of characters that could be used to identify “suspicious” people, including their body shape and “odor/scent.”
