Ring’s surveillance cameras are not just the focus of concerns about a potential Amazon-driven surveillance society; they may also become an unexpected tool in the search for extraterrestrial life.
In a unique initiative, Ring has launched the “Million Dollar Search for Extraterrestrials” program, encouraging users to watch for any evidence of alien activity captured by their Ring doorbell cameras. If someone records what appears to be an extraterrestrial being on their Ring camera, the tech company is prepared to offer a cash reward.
The competition, which promises a grand prize of $1 million for the most compelling “scientific evidence,” has enlisted meteorologist and astrobiologist Jacob Haqq Misrad as a contest judge. Entrants are encouraged to share any peculiar sightings, and the submissions are open until November 3.
If you don’t reside in an area known for close encounters, you can still participate by submitting your alien-themed Ring footage using makeup, props, and costumes to win a $500 Amazon gift card. However, this is seen as a less courageous approach.
Amazon’s contest website explained, “Sensors have been picking up rogue signals from the Neighborhood Nebula. It might be nothing. Might be something. That’s where you come in.” Participants must download the footage from their Ring app to be eligible for the cash prize.
This competition coincides with when UFOs and extraterrestrial life are increasingly in the public eye. In September, journalist and UFO enthusiast Jaime Maussan presented Mexico’s congress with what he claimed were mummified bodies of non-human origin found in Peru, but these claims were later debunked.
Concurrently, NASA appointed a director of UFO research after conducting a year-long investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).
Ring may be leveraging the current UFO and alien craze as a clever attempt to assuage concerns about its privacy implications.
A report in March revealed that Ring had handed over a day’s worth of footage to law enforcement without customer consent. While the customer initially provided footage in response to a law enforcement request related to a neighbor’s investigation, law enforcement used the legal system to access even more footage. Many significant cities provide law enforcement officers with a portal for requesting Ring camera footage from the extensive network of devices.
