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."

Comments

Re:Herpin' the Derp

[girlintraining]

I just wanted to point out that even when they would prefer not to hand over the data -

What incentive, exactly, do you think they have for such a preference? As a publicly-traded company they have an obligation to maximize shareholder profits. You need to make a compelling case for having such a preference if it isn't specifically laid out in the mission statement. As far as the bean counters are concerned, your personal data being sold off means more revenue, the end. Ethics? Profit.

Re:Herpin' the Derp

[girlintraining]

how does that work for used car purchases?

The same way it does for used software or used computers.

I seriously doubt that any original owner agreements would be binding.

Use of the product constitutes acceptance of its terms.

in fact, 'ford' won't know who the current owner is, only the dealer-based buyer's identity. the gov will know (due to registration and tags) though.

GPS tracking. Publicly-searchable vehicle titles. Carfax. Onstar with continuous connectivity to at least one major cellular network at all times. Yeah... no way at all Ford could know who the current owner is.