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.
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.
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.
If they survive
And if they show the slightest sign that they might not survive then the US Gov will bail them out.
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.
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.
No, it’s not. “Your phone is listening to you” is an idiotic myth.
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.
Google Assistant is able to activate simply by the user saying “Okay Google,” at any time, without pushing any buttons first. That means the microphone is always listening.
You should do your research on how wake words work. They literally are only capable of identifying the selected words and they do an obscene amount of training to do so efficiently, because actually processing all the audio your phone is exposed to can’t possibly be done in a reasonable way.
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.
I also understood what you clearly meant but this is a good exercise in not blowing up at a pedant.
Would I buy that car? Would not drive, even if given to me for free. Hell Naw.
Welp, they needed to tell people about themselves, I’m taking note.
I’m already sick of ads at gas station pumps, and will just sit in my car in order to avoid them.
It’s mostly valero pulling this shit. Everyone else seems to have gotten the memo
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
Oh just wait. They are motivating me further to go electric. Very widespread across the US and very loud. Despite what people love to say about mute buttons on forums, many do not have a mute option.
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.
I swear I’m going to break one of those pumps with how hard I push the buttons on the fucking thing that starts talking to me. I’ll never choose to go to a fuel station with those.
I really hope my car holds out for a long time, because fuck ads in my car. I don’t want my car to listen to anything but the controls I use to drive.
Is there really anybody who thinks they would like that?
If/when this happens it will just lead to a rise in aftermarket products to disable the feature.
Hell, since they will probably use AI to parse the audio you can probably use it to fuck with your friends. Like when people would put out hyper-specific FB ads but via cars.
So then… Laxative and boner-pill ads all day long? Maybe mix in some Geritol here and there?
NEW feature: As you drive down the road, Ford cars will automatically take over and drive you to the nearest sponsor location. Hungry? It will take over and swerve into the nearest KFC drive-thru. Next stop, CVS pharmacy, then Office Depot.
Disclaimer: Disabling AutoAd feature requires monthly subscription.
“But honey, the car took me to the strip club, it isn’t my fault”
Give me a free car and I’ll test it out with this “service”. I’m not buying a car that advertises to me.
Love my 2nd gen Toyota. Runs well. Needs just basic maintenance. It can hold it’s own in any “Made in Murica” pissing contest. And the only annoying thing is the TPMS sensor light, if you could even call that annoying. It’s manual, 4wd, doesn’t record me, no backtalk. As loyal as a truck can be.
Of all the amazing futures that technology could bring us, this is the black hell we get stuck with.
what if i screamed ‘fuck off and die’ at it whenever an ad plays
It would recognize that you don’t respomd well to ads and play more annoying ones as a result.
There was an article saying that ppl don’t buy enough EVs, but with all the shit they put in it, the problem is beyond the type of engine…
People don’t buy EVs because they are way too expensive. BS spy devices and features hidden behind paywalls can be put in anything.
Bold of you to assume that if Ford every implements this, it would only be in EV’s
No. 1 upgrade for future Ford cars: A switch to cut off the microphone.
Pi-hole coming to cars now
