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Ford Exec: 'We Know Everyone Who Breaks the Law' Thanks To Our GPS In Your Car
An anonymous reader sends this report from Business Insider:
"[Ford VP Jim Farley] was trying to describe how much data Ford has on its customers, and illustrate the fact that the company uses very little of it in order to avoid raising privacy concerns: 'We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you're doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing. By the way, we don't supply that data to anyone,' he told attendees. Rather, he said, he imagined a day when the data might be used anonymously and in aggregate to help other marketers with traffic related problems. Suppose a stadium is holding an event; knowing how much traffic is making its way toward the arena might help the venue change its parking lot resources accordingly, he said."
Farley later realized how his statement sounded, and added, "We do not track our customers in their cars without their approval or consent."
Customers don't generally report casual breakdowns, for example. Also, habit trends can help with designing newer models. You'll always get a better picture of your customers' habits with transparent metrics.
Let's not forget that a complete history of your driving habits can be sold to third parties for a nice profit. Oh, did I mention by third parties I mean anyone, ever? You don't need a search warrant... just pay the $5 to get a complete "enhanced driver profile". I know what you're thinking: Aren't there laws against this? Maybe, but you agreed to let them do whatever they want when you turned the key and drove it off the lot; says so in the small print.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
'ford' won't know who the current owner is,
Oh please. Every state DMV shares that information with vehicle manufacturers. How do you think they're able to send you a recall notice when you're not the original owner?
Well, until they show up with an NSL, in which case we'll supply the data forthwith. But don't worry, we'll still have to maintain we really don't.
It doesn't take a NSL. A subpoena in a divorce case or a warrant from local law enforcement would be enough.
Why does everyone think that the NSA is the only entity capable of obtaining private data?
The concept of ownership, title, and property are themselves products of having a state. Why am I not allowed to jump in "your" car, modify it as I wish (to start the ignition), and drive away? Because, somewhere in a filing cabinet, there is a magical piece of paper saying that the car is "yours" and not "mine" --- a property in no way inherent in the physical existence of the car itself. The "magic" of the paper that makes the car "yours" is that enough people agree to the rules of the state --- so, they probably won't try to drive your car; and, if they do, someone else may hunt them down and forcibly detain them (again, by power of the state). There is no private property without the state, besides the "private property" of whoever is strongest and nastiest to kill everyone else and grab their stuff.
States may indeed have too much power --- but, if you want "private property" so that some magical piece of paper can dictate who gets to drive "your" car, then you'll need a state (a shared delusion negotiated with a sufficient number of your neighbors).