New Ford Patent Will Have Owners Literally Punching Their Cars

Earlier, we learned that cars are becoming the new automotive Big Brother with the implication that where we go and how we drive can and will be used against us.

Unbelievably, things may get worse―especially if Ford decides to use their latest patent controlling your car's infotainment system.

Related article: The Ford Patent That Could Put Your Car in the Junkyard

Captive Audience Commercials

According to a recent Steve Lehto YouTube channel episode, Ford is poised to unleash the worst thing possible on its new car owners if it decides to install its latest patent that could turn the comfort of your car into a new kind of hell: Captive car audience commercials.

"The system, which is formally titled "In-Vehicle Advertisement Presentation Systems And Methods," shows a system that uses data not limited to just your location, the places you traveled, the route you logged on the navigation system, local traffic data and how fast you are going to determine how many and what kind of ads to display on the screen and through the speakers in Ford cars," states a news story from TheStreet website that the host refers to when reporting the story.

In other words, your car's infotainment system is about to become more intrusive than your laptop screen. Worse yet, you might not be able to turn it off and just drive with nothing but the drone of your tires while listening to your thoughts.

This is nothing new other than it is a new way to make sure you are bombarded with commercials whether you want them or not. As the host points out, we have been subjected to this for years, beginning with television, where we got free TV with the catch of being subjected to commercials that paid for the programs we enjoyed. More recently, we have also been bombarded with ads on our free internet that target our potential interests by sending commercials and ads related to whatever we last typed into an internet search engine.

The problem, however, with Ford doing this is that there is no comparable benefit to the driver.

The Patent for More Information

If you would like to access the patent, you can find it at this website link and/or use the reference provided here:

Patent History Reference

Publication number: 20240289844

Type: Application

Filed: Feb 23, 2023

Publication Date: Aug 29, 2024

Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Dearborn, MI)

Inventors: Himanshu Verma (Farmington Hills, MI), Fling Tseng (Ann Arbor, MI)

Application Number: 18/173,511

Steve Promises to Become So Angry He Will Punch His New Ford

Here is the video from the Steve Lehto YouTube channel that is an interesting bit about how the host promises he will punch out the screen on his new Ford if the patent is used in the ways he believes Ford will abuse the new technology to increase their revenue with nothing in it for the car owner.

"This is my vow to you…if the time comes when one of my cars actually starts playing ads to me and interrupting what I am otherwise listening to or watching, first of all, I will punch the screen of whatever is doing it as hard as I can. But I will film myself smashing that stuff, and I'll put it on video. Promise. Promise," states the host.

In case you do not have the time to watch the video, a summary of his complaints about the patent is provided immediately below the video for your convenience and consideration,

Ford Patent Could Make Driving New Cars A Horrible Experience

Summary of Complaints About What is So Bad About Ford's Patent

According to the host, these are some of the problems he foresees with Ford adding this new tech to your car's infotainment system:

• You cannot listen to your tunes without an advertisement breaking in.
• Your new car will come with internet-like bloatware that will force ads on you.
• All of your vehicle data gathered while driving will be used to target you with specific advertisements. For example, if you drive past a burger place, an ad for a daily deal will appear.
• The software will monitor how you react to specific ads and gauge, based on your car's driving mode, how much ad bombardment you are willing to take.
• The software will listen to your conversations and target ads based on keywords you might unwittingly say.
• The patent opens a Pandora's Box of privacy concerns.

For additional articles related to cars and your rights, here are a few useful ones for your consideration:

• The First Place to Look if Your Tesla is Missing
• Turns Out Tesla Owners Technically Do Not Own Their Cars

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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