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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."
Farley later realized how his statement sounded, and added, "We do not track our customers in their cars without their approval or consent."
Approval or consent, English-American, verb: To use. To accept the licensing terms. To look at. To think about.
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What I want to know is, Why does Ford need this data? I understand why people would have a GPS in their car, and why a recording of their actions might be stored on the car (although even more than a short history should be easily erased), but why doesn't this information need to be transmitted back to the car company at all? I bet most people, when asked about whether or not they want a GPS system are not told that the GPS will send information back to the manufacturer about their every movement.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Don't buy ford.
Fired, CEO, def.: To be given a bonus. To be handed large amounts of money. Given an early retirement with free company-provided yachts.
Fired, you, def.: To be fucked. Screwed. Rendered destitute. Forced to sell everything of value and told you are a drain on the resources of society.
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No matter how badly a CEO fucks up, they still get a "punishment" that's far in excess of any reward you'll likely get for your entire career, no matter how big the contribution.
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I, an active professor and research scientist, drive a 1982 Dodge Ram Pickup. No tracking, no disconnect, easy to work on engine. I will keep this baby going for the rest of my life, and no company will be tracking my whereabouts. (So long as I remember to turn off my cell phone, which I usually do.)
I am the penguin that codes in the night.
Meaning it's listed somewhere in the bill of sale. "Well you bought the car, didn't you? There's your consent"
Of course they don't track the customer. What they track is the vehicle,,, and the vehicle has no rights.
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
As a consumer, why would this entice me to purchase a car from Ford?
At this point, the question you gotta ask yourself is: what other manufacturers are also doing this but haven't accidentally mentioned it in a public forum? Not buying Ford might punish Ford, true. But it might punish Ford not so much for doing it as to admitting it. (But that's your business as a consumer, of course. You can buy or not buy anything for any reason or no reason at all. I don't know which one I'd pick.)
Long time ago, I interviewed for a job and the boss told me that he really didn't have that good of a method to honestly evaluate employees. So raises tended to go to the employees he thought were working the hardest and thus the most productive. And those employees were the ones he saw the most. In turning down the position, I wondered if I was giving up working for an honest boss in favor of a liar who would do the same thing but not admit to it. (For closure purposes, I found a middle ground: the boss admitted to the "face time" thing after I signed on.)
I am not a crackpot.
How does having my gps data give Ford the ability to "know everyone who breaks the law" and "know when you're doing it"?
That's a rather impressive feat. How exactly does this magical gps data tell them person A ran a red light, person B robbed a convenience store, person C committed murder, ...?
The solution will never happen. There is only two ways it'll happen:
1. Boards stop that horseshit but they won't. They'll take care of their buddies and BS the shareholders by saying "We NEED to offer those compensation packages in order to get the best talent." And we all know that CEO talent has very little to do with business performance - although, the runup of Yahoo! because Meyer being hired - and no improvement in company fundamentals - showed the stupidity of Wall Street.
2. Regulation - which won't happen because the majority of Americans are under the delusion that all they have to do is work harder and they can one day be in that position and therefore; any laws in that regard will hurt them down the line. And also, the propaganda about "Socialism" and what have you from the business/money'ed class' mouthpieces in the media.
One reason car companies collect this data is to steal the car back from you (repossess it) in the event of non-payment. The GPS tracking is often turned over to the Repo operators when they need to go steal your car back.
True. And it works because of the incredibly low level of understanding about modern technology. Anyone with a wire cutter, soldering iron, and a few long runs of wire can thoroughly disable such a system. It's usually just a box wired directly to the battery and has a relay in series with the ignition. Cut the power leads and solder a wire to bridge the relay and you're done. Total time: 10 minutes. For bonus points, buy a deep cycle marine battery, a 50 gallon drum, and throw the result inside then seal it up and drop it off in the nearest river. It'll happily chirp it's location as it floats nine states away and off into the ocean.
But then, I was feeling really bitchy when I helped a friend do this...
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The ford CEO was being blatantly honest. All the other companies do the exact same fucking thing e.g. On star. Ford is just honest about it. It is a tradeoff between safety / convenience and freedom. I applaud Ford, at least they are not lying to me. I am more concerned with the government mandating and requiring this information at all times. Today commercial truckers are required to carry electornic on board recorders that record exactly where you were at any given moment, if your engine was idleing, if you are wearing your seatbelt, etc. Commercial vehicals ussually get handed the laws about 10 years before the regular highway users.
So by the year 2024 all vehicals will have there whereabout posted to the governments central traffic monitoring hub. If you disable this system, you will be a terrorist.
Those bubbles you see around you are not soap bubbles.