Be careful what you say while driving. The car may be listening.
Automaker Ford recently filed for what it says is a patent.“In-car advertisement display system”
If this doesn't piss you off, just wait until your center screen gets flooded with texts, messages, and more junk mail.
The technology uses microphones in the car to listen to passengers' conversations and serve targeted advertisements. We can also analyze your voice commands and navigation data to serve you relevant advertising, including promoting local businesses and services.
This is certainly welcome news for people who don't like billboards, or who have always wanted their cars to be as intrusive on their privacy as their smartphones.
Ford's patent is just one of the ways automakers are exploring ways to monetize user data, signaling that the era of the car as a sanctuary for private conversations is nearing an end. are.
But Ford Global Technologies' patents are particularly invasive, demonstrating an insidious “system and method” for bombarding people with personalized ads.
New technology can not only listen to conversations, but also collect and analyze data such as vehicle location, speed, and traffic conditions.
The system also uses information about the driver's destination and location history to predict which types of ads to display and for how long.
Listening to passenger conversations could also help determine how passengers react to advertisements and the best time to run them through in-car audio and human-machine interface systems.
The application also mentions the use of historical user data and third-party app information to tailor ad targeting.
Ford ignored any privacy concerns.
“Filing patent applications is a normal part of a strong business because it helps protect new ideas and build a strong portfolio of intellectual property,” a Ford spokesperson said. a rep told the Record. “The ideas described within the patent application should not be considered to represent our business or product plans.”
In other words, we're not really doing it…and it's a good thing we're doing it.
“We always put our customers first in our decisions as we develop and market new products and services,” Ford said in a subsequent statement.
The patent application does not provide details about data protection measures, potentially adding to concerns expressed by privacy advocates.
Such a system would rely heavily on data, but the patent does not indicate that the data collected would be protected. Nevertheless, like many issued patents, published documents do not guarantee that the invention will be practiced in the future.
It's also worth noting that automakers have been found to be selling data about drivers' driving habits to auto insurance companies, which use it to set premiums. This suggests that they view user data as another revenue source to sell to stakeholders other than advertisers.
If this doesn't piss you off, just wait until your center screen gets flooded with texts, messages, and more junk mail.
Ford has filed other patents that raise privacy concerns. A recent example is a patent for “System and Method for Detecting Speeding.'' We talked about this on our channel.
Another controversial patent proposed a system for seizing vehicles from owners who failed to make payments, which Ford later abandoned after receiving widespread criticism. The system either directs the self-driving car to a pick-up point or disables the standard vehicle by locking the steering wheel, brakes, and air conditioning.
Watch the video below to learn more.
