Imagine your car playing you an ad based on your destination, vehicle information—and listening to your conversations.
Ford has patented a system that, per the filing, would use several different sources of information to customize ad content to play in your car. One such information stream that this hypothetical system would use to determine what sort of ads to serve could be could be the voice commands you’ve given to the car. It could also identify your voice and recognize you and your ad preferences, and those of your passengers. Finally, it could listen to your conversations and determine if it’s better to serve you a visual ad while you’re talking, or an audio ad when there’s a lull in the conversation.
If the system described in the patent knew that you were headed to the mall on the freeway based on destination information from the nav system and vehicle speed, it could consider how many ads to serve in the time you’ll be in the car, and whether to serve them on a screen or based through the audio system. If you respond more positively to audio ads, it might serve you more of those—how does every five minutes sound?
But what if the weather’s bad, traffic is heavy, and you’re chatting away with your passenger? Ford describes the system using the external sensors to perceive traffic levels and weather, and the internal microphone to understand conversational cadence, to “regulate the number (and relevance) of ads shown” to the occupants. Using the GPS, if it knows you’ve parked near a store, it might serve you ads relevant to that retail location. Got passengers? Maybe you get an audio ad, and they get a visual one.
Given how consumers feel about advertising and in-car privacy, it is difficult to imagine an implementation of this system that wouldn’t generate blowback. But again, the patent isn’t describing some imminent implementation; it just protects Ford’s IP that describes a possible system. That said, with the encroachment of subscription-based features, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before you’re accepting a $20/month discount to let your new Ford play you ads on your commute.
Would I buy that car? Would not drive, even if given to me for free. Hell Naw.
Honestly good. Let no one else use that technology. Then all i have to do is not buy a ford.
That said, if you plug your phone into your car, this tech is already in place lol.
This is not how patents work. At all.
For one, patent owners are generally more than happy to license their technology to integrators, and even competitors, if there is money to be made.
More importantly, patents cannot be used to get exclusivity on products. Rather, patents can only protect novel approaches to how a product is made or served.
The patent system is designed to protect R&D costs exclusively, not some get out of jail card for anti trust. Of course, the patent office isn’t perfect, the system does get abused in anti-competitive ways. But in the end, it’s rare that that results in less consumer choice, because of licensing deals.
Yeah, the “let no one else use it” portion of my comment is what i meant when you say “patent owners are generally more than happy to license their tech”
I hope ford doesn’t.
And yes while patents dont grant exclusivity it gives a company the option to try and argue that a competitors version isnt novel enough. In the USA, where ford is from, patent law screwery is abounds if you have enough money. Of which Ford is backed by the US government.
Im not here to point out whether or not the patent is the issue. The problem is the spying and selling of personal data. If ford proceeds in a way that limits that exposure to the rest of car manufacturers then fantastic, even if its only in a nominal way.
I do still appreciate your refresher on how patents work though! Hope the rest of your day goes well.
What was that headline about Facebook employees bragging about customer conversations they were listening in on? hmmmm
Choose between:
Entirely fabricated
or
On their own hardware, that isn’t a smartphone, because they don’t make them.
Both iOS and Android make it abundantly clear when your mic is hot and when apps have access to it. It’s not possible to listen undetected.
Yet another reason not to buy a Ford.
I’m already sick of ads at gas station pumps, and will just sit in my car in order to avoid them.
One of the buttons around the screen mutes them, in case you weren’t aware. I’ve found that it’s usually one of the ones on the top right, but it can vary.
Not always. I’ve been to a couple pumps where none of the buttons did anything. At that point I’m tempted to get a squirt gun to spray into the speakers, hope it does something useful to the speakers.
Ads at the pump? What do you live? Luckily I haven’t seen them in Germany yet. Guess it’s only a matter of time…
USA - Washington DC Metro Area
Been happening for years now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSk3coye5Jg
Yeah we got those. You come back from work or a late road trip, maybe listening to quiet jazz to temper things down, suddenly at the pump this over powering buzzing noise “the all new slushy! Get them today! It’s inside! One free on every 50 fill ups! See inside for details!”.
Do they not realize this will hurt their Brand?
Short term ad profits aren’t worth losing customers.
They very much are for a lot of people. Lines goes up, you can give yourself a nice bonus payout and if things come crashing down you leave. With your golden parachute of course.
In general, digital privacy invasions have been very successful because of attrition.
Most people don’t care, those that do hold out, but then every competitor does the same and you no longer have any real alternatives. Eventually, the hold outs need to replace [car in this case] and the sting of the objectiknable change has faded, and they just move on.
Rinse and repeat.
We lost the fight for meaningful net neutrality, basic digital privacy rights, broadband limits, etc.
They’ll win this one too. Eventually. Your phones and IoT with microphones are already doing it.
I guess they might lose customers, but the ad revenue will offset it. Which could be a win for them. Less cars to produce for the same amount of money. If they survive everybody else will probably just follow suit. Like the car functionality subscriptions.
I’m just sad we reached this point.
Ban targeted advertising. Ban data gathering. You won’t even have to deal with the f***ing cookie banners anymore.
No, because the barrier to entry for car manufacturing is significant.
If the other major car manufacturers weren’t already working a similar advertising system/platform, they’ve already scheduled multiple meetings to catch up.
This isn’t a problem that will be solved by the market and competition, only by regulation.
And I don’t consider tech savvy users learning how to hack and disable these features as a resolution, it’s just mitigation.
