Ford's plan to turn the inside of your car into one big eavesdropping, ad-spewing smartphone



Be careful what you say while driving — your car may be listening.

Automaker Ford has recently applied for a patent for what it calls the“In-Vehicle Advertisement Presentation System.”

If this doesn’t anger you, wait till you're bombarded with texts, messages on your center screen, and more garbage emails.

This technology uses in-car microphones to listen to passengers’ conversations and display targeted advertisements. It can also analyze voice commands and navigation data to serve relevant ads, like promoting local businesses or services.

This is no doubt welcome news for those of us who can't get enough of billboards — or those of us who've always wished our vehicles could invade our privacy as much as our smartphones do.

The Ford patent is just one of the ways automakers are exploring ways to monetize user data — a sign that the days of the automobile as a sanctuary for private conversations are coming to a close.

But the Ford Global Technologies patent is particularly invasive, demonstrating insidious “systems and methods” to bombard you with personalized ads.

Not only would the new technology be able to listen to conversations, it would also capture and analyze data such as vehicle location, speed, and traffic conditions.

The system would also use information on the driver’s destination and location history to predict what kind and what length ads to show them.

Listening to passengers' conversations would also help the company learn how they react to the ads and the best times to run them through audio and human-machine interface systems installed in the car.

The application also mentions using historical user data and third-party app information to refine ad targeting.

Ford has shrugged off any privacy concerns.

"Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property," a Ford spokesperson told the Record. "The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans."

In other words: We're not really doing it ... and it's good that we're doing it.

In a follow-up statement, Ford said it "will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services."

The patent application does not offer specifics regarding data-protection measures, likely adding to the unease expressed by privacy advocates.

While such a system would rely heavily on data, the patent doesn’t show the collected data would be protected. Nevertheless, as with many issued patents, the released document doesn’t guarantee that the invention will be implemented in the future.

It also should be noted that auto manufacturers have been found to sell data about drivers' habits behind the wheel to auto insurance companies, which is then used to set insurance rates. This suggests that they view user data as another revenue stream to market to interested parties other than advertisers.

If this doesn’t anger you, wait till you're bombarded with texts, messages on your center screen, and more garbage emails.

Ford has filed other patent applications that have raised privacy concerns. One recent example is a patent for "Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations." We have covered this on our channel.

And another controversial patent, which Ford later abandoned after widespread criticism, proposed a system for repossessing vehicles from owners who had missed payments. The system would either direct self-driving cars to repossession lots or disable standard vehicles by locking their steering wheels, brakes, and air conditioning.

For more on this, see the video below:

Is the auto industry headed for a crash?



Plant closures in Europe. Layoffs in America. Plunging sales everywhere.

The auto industry is in trouble — and we could all end up suffering the consequences.

EV woes have hit Ford as well. Later this month, the carmaker will suspend operations at its F-150 Lightning EV plant for the rest of year.

Let's start with Volkswagen. The company stands proud as the biggest carmaker in Europe, and it has never closed a factory in its home country of Germany.

Until now.

Punch buggy blues

At the end of October, the company asked workers to take a 10% pay cut as part of an ongoing campaign to cut costs across the VW Group. Industry insiders fear that domestic plant closures — the first in the company's 87-year history — could be next, with up to three German factories shutting down, costing more than 100,000 jobs.

“Management is absolutely serious about all this. This is not saber-rattling in the collective bargaining round,” warned Volkswagen works council head Daniela Cavallo in a speech to employees.

These cuts would reduce the number of domestic plants to seven and cut the workforce by a third.

The plants that do stay open would also endure cost-cutting measures, according to a separate report, with downsizing and wage freezes on the table.

VW aims to save about €10 billion (roughly $10.8 billion USD) by 2026.

Thomas Schaefer, the head of the Volkswagen brand, has previously noted that German factories are operating at between 25% and 50% above targeted costs. This is largely due to Europe’s high energy costs, which German carmakers say are four times higher than in China and the United States.

Compounding this problem are increased competition from Chinese brands and a lack of demand for electric cars.

Volkswagen hasn’t commented on the report, and it hasn’t announced plant closures or layoffs yet.

Previously, Volkswagen had considered buying Audi's struggling EV plant in Brussels. Those plans changed, and with no other suitable buyers on the horizon, the plant may close its doors for good.

The outlook isn't much sunnier stateside, either.

GM feels the heat

General Motors is laying off some 1,000 software workers globally, 600 of whom are employed at its tech center in Warren, Michigan.

In a memo to workers obtained by Automotive News, GM said the cuts were to enable it to “move faster, pivot when needed, and prioritize investing in what will have the greatest impact.”

This is certainly a pivot from the last several years, in which GM has been expanding its software team to help with its electrification and autonomous efforts. The company had predicted that those services could generate $25 billion in revenue by 2030.

While General Motors has claimed that these cuts target "software and service" employees, that's not exactly true. The layoffs come from GM's Ultium division, which is the sub-EV company GM created to differentiate it from its gasoline engine department.

I can confirm that Ultium has let go a number of thermal engineers without warning. Thermal engineers, as you might guess, are crucial to thermal management: keeping EV batteries, power electronic systems, and motors from overheating.

Is this a sign that GM is no longer all-in on electric and is drastically reducing R&D on future EVs?

Sure looks like it.

Ford's loser Lightning

EV woes have hit Ford as well. Later this month, the carmaker will suspend operations at its F-150 Lightning EV plant for the rest of year.

The highly touted electric pickup loses the company $40,000 on each vehicle sold. Hardly sustainable, especially given that Ford's Q3 net income is down 26%, and cost issues have caused it to drop its full-year adjusted earnings projection to around $10 billion.

Mercedes: Bust in class

The luxury car market isn't what it used to be, either.

Mercedes Benz has cut production on its S-Class line in response to declining sales: down 13% in China, 19% in the U.S., and 27% in Europe. The high-end vehicles have been rolling off the company's cutting-edge Factory 56 assembly line in Germany since 2020 — always in at least two shifts.

Now, for the first time since Mercedes opened what it touts as the most modern car factory in the world, one shift will suffice.

The plant also builds the electric EQS as well as Maybach and AMG models. Mercedes will refresh the S-Class next year, so demand could pick back up with a new model.

Ram tough

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has been heaping scorn on his previous U.S. management team and no wonder: Third-quarter sales in North America were a disaster, falling 20%, and down 17% for the year.

That's bad news for iconic American brands Jeep, RAM, Dodge, and Chrysler — and it has investors heading for the exits.

But times are tough all over for the car conglomerate. Sales in Europe fell 17%, with even Maserati relegated to the slow lane with a stunning 60% drop.

Business isn't much better in China, India, and Asia Pacific, where sales fell 30%.

Border run

And in a move that is sure to infuriate the UAW, Tavares plans to move production of Ram's full-size 1500 pickup truck from the U.S. to its Saltillo, Mexico, plant, which already produces Ram heavy-duty pickups and vans.

While Mexico offers lower labor costs, no doubt the move is also to prevent the UAW from choking off production during any future strike. We think that’s the same reason Ford moved part of its heavy-duty truck production to Canada. It’s a game of chess, and both Ford and Stellantis are working to escape checkmate.

For more on the ongoing car industry crisis, check out my video below:

Ford Halts EV Production at Michigan Plant That Biden, Slotkin Lauded as 'Incredible' Example of 'American Ingenuity'

Ford Motor Company is halting production of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck at a Michigan factory, the auto giant announced Thursday. Just three years ago, President Joe Biden and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) visited the plant to celebrate the truck's rollout, calling it an "incredible facility" that shows there's "no limit to what American ingenuity and manufacturing can accomplish."

The post Ford Halts EV Production at Michigan Plant That Biden, Slotkin Lauded as 'Incredible' Example of 'American Ingenuity' appeared first on .

Drive carefully — your car is watching



It's coming from inside the car!

I've told you about the AI-enabled cameras that can tell if you're speeding — or on your phone. Now, car manufacturers are joining the assault on your privacy.

'Our investigation revealed that General Motors has engaged in egregious business practices that violated Texans’ privacy and broke the law. We will hold them accountable.'

Take Ford, for example. The iconic American company recently filed a not-so-American patent for technology that would allow a car to snitch on drivers.

Entitled "Systems and Methods for Detecting Speeding Violations" — not quite as catchy as "Built Ford Tough" — the patent filing details a system that would use vehicles' cameras and sensors to detect speeding motorists and report them to authorities.

The filing includes basic sketches and flowcharts illustrating how this technology senses speed violations, activates cameras to capture images, and transmits data to nearby "pursuit vehicles" or logs it to a server. The captured data, including speed, GPS location, and clear imagery or video, can then be sent to authorities for potential action.

According to Ford, it is developing this technology for police cars. In other words, don't worry: This invasive surveillance tech will be exclusively in the hands of the state.

And I'm sure the company would never think of adapting it so your own car can inform any nearby police that they should pull you over.

Then there's GM.

Did you know the company's so concerned about empowering you to keep your data secure that it just consolidated five different lengthy privacy statements into one disclosure document?

Talk about putting the customer first! Yeah, a massive lawsuit and widespread public backlash have a way of encouraging that.

Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit on behalf of the state against GM, accusing the automaker of installing technology on more than 14 million vehicles to collect data about drivers, which it then sold to insurers and other companies without drivers’ consent.

The suit contends that the data was used to compile “Driving Scores” assessing whether more than 1.8 million Texas drivers had “bad” habits such as speeding, braking too fast, steering too sharply into turns, not using seatbelts, and driving late at night. Insurers could then use the data when deciding whether to raise premiums, cancel policies, or deny coverage.

The technology was allegedly installed on most GM vehicles starting with the 2015 model year. Paxton said GM’s practice was for dealers to make unwitting consumers who had just completed the stressful buying and leasing process believe that enrolling in its OnStar diagnostic products, which collected the data, was mandatory.

“Companies are using invasive technology to violate the rights of our citizens in unthinkable ways,” Paxton said in a statement. “Our investigation revealed that General Motors has engaged in egregious business practices that violated Texans’ privacy and broke the law. We will hold them accountable.”

This isn't the first time Texas has stood up for its drivers. In 2019 Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill to ban red-light cameras, two years after KXAN-NBC in Austin, Texas, reported that almost all cities with red-light cameras had illegally issued traffic tickets.

Their investigation also found that drivers paid the city of Austin over $7 million in fines since the cameras were installed, and cities in Texas made over $500 million from the cameras since 2007.

Volvo kills plans for all-electric lineup by 2030 amid industry shift



Volvo has declared that it has abandoned plans to sell only electric cars by the end of the decade. The Swedish auto manufacturer is the latest carmaker to walk back ambitious electric vehicle plans.

Volvo was one of the first automakers to promise an electric-only lineup. However, Volvo has scrapped its plan to sell only electric vehicles – just three years after it pledged it would "become a fully electric car company by 2030."

'It is clear that the transition to electrification will not be linear, and customers and markets are moving at different speeds of adoption.'

Volvo said the company needed to "adjust its electrification ambitions due to changing market conditions and customer demands."

"Going forward, Volvo Cars aims for 90 to 100 percent of its global sales volume by 2030 to consist of electrified cars, meaning a mix of both fully electric and plug-in hybrid models – in essence, all cars with a cord," the car company stated in a press release shared on Wednesday.

Volvo noted, "This replaces the company’s previous ambition for its lineup to be fully electric by 2030."

“We are resolute in our belief that our future is electric,” said Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars. “An electric car provides a superior driving experience and increases possibilities for using advanced technologies that improve the overall customer experience."

Rowan admitted, "However, it is clear that the transition to electrification will not be linear, and customers and markets are moving at different speeds of adoption. We are pragmatic and flexible, while retaining an industry-leading position on electrification and sustainability.”

Volvo blamed "slower than expected rollout of charging infrastructure, withdrawal of government incentives in some markets and additional uncertainties created by recent tariffs on EVs in various markets" for the lower demand for electric vehicles.

Volvo Cars proclaimed there is a "need for stronger and more stable government policies to support the transition to electrification."

The car company said it expects to feature 50% to 60% of its lineup as electrified vehicles by 2025.

Volvo said the share of fully electric cars in its lineup stood at 26% during the second quarter of 2024, adding that this is the highest level among its premium peers. The car company stated that EVs and hybrid vehicles account for 48% of its lineup.

Volvo is owned by the Chinese car company Geely. Volvo and Geely also own the Polestar EV brand.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Polestar had suffered $242.3 million in operating losses for the second quarter. Polestar admitted that revenue had dropped 17% to $574.9 million due to “lower global volumes and higher discounts.”

Bloomberg reported, "Once a vanguard of the electric-car movement, Polestar is grappling with high costs and increasing competition from new players, including from China. At the same time, consumer demand for EVs is waning amid high inflation and the end of subsidies in key markets, forcing some carmakers to offer discounts."

Volvo's reversal of ambitious goals of electric vehicles comes at a time when other automakers have dialed back their commitments to EVs.

As Blaze News previously reported last month, Ford Motor Company announced measures to scale back multiple EV plans. Ford killed plans to manufacture a large, three-row electric SUV. The American auto manufacturer also developed a new plan to focus on smaller, cheaper EVs as the future, while hybrid technology will be utilized for powering larger vehicles. Ford will also reduce future capital expenditure plans on pure EVs from 40% to 30%. Ford's EV division is reportedly on pace to lose as much as $5.5 billion this year.

Three years ago, Mercedes-Benz proclaimed it would feature an all-electric car lineup in 2030 "where market conditions allow." However, in February, Mercedes backpedaled and indicated it would continue to manufacture internal combustion engine cars and hybrids well past 2030.

"Spurred on by weaker than expected demand for EVs, this about-face was the most recent indication that the global car industry is growing increasingly pessimistic about an all-electric future," according to Forbes.

Reuters reported in June that General Motors downgraded its 2024 EV production forecast from 300,000 units to 250,000.

Porsche watered down its plans to become an all-electric car company in July.

"The transition to electric cars is taking longer than we thought five years ago," Porsche said in a statement. "Our product strategy is set up such that we could deliver over 80% of our vehicles as all electric in 2030 – dependent on customer demand and the development of electromobility."

According to Edmunds sales data, new car sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. were only 6.8% in May 2024.

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Ford becomes latest company to reject DEI initiatives — Human Rights Campaign resorts to name-calling after slew of losses



The Ford Motor Company walked back some DEI initiatives following pushback from conservatives. The Human Rights Campaign — America’s largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization — reacted to Ford's new direction by slinging insults after suffering its latest repudiation by a major company.

On Thursday, filmmaker and conservative consumer activist Robby Starbuck shared an internal memo from Ford CEO Jim Farley to employees regarding a pullback of commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

'What we want to do with this campaign is just make workplaces about work again with no divisive political or social issues.'

"For more than a century, Ford has been a pioneer in providing opportunities to people around the world of all races, genders, and backgrounds," the memo began. "Our people are our greatest strength, and the diverse experiences, perspectives, and talents of our team have enabled Ford to create some of the most iconic vehicles in history and afford millions of people the freedom of mobility."

"We are mindful that our employees and customers hold a wide range of beliefs, and the external and legal environment related to political and social issues continues to evolve," Farley said in the memo.

The automaker giant noted that the company has evolved in the past year, and Ford has "taken a fresh look at our policies and practices to ensure they support our values, drive business results, and take into account the current landscape."

Included in the new policy changes, Ford proclaimed that employee resource groups must now focus efforts on "networking, mentorship, personal and professional development, and community service."

Ford Motor Co. stressed that it "does not utilize hiring quotas or tie compensation to the achievement of specific diversity goals."

The carmaker also declared that it will not use quotas for minority dealerships or suppliers.

Farley continued, "Ford remains deeply committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace and building a team that leverages diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and thinking styles to craft the best products, services, and experiences for our customers."

"As a global company, we will continue to put our effort and resources into taking care of our customers, our team, and our communities versus publicly commenting on the many polarizing issues of the day," the memo read.

Of the car company's philanthropic endeavors, Ford noted that it would focus on "areas where we can make the biggest positive difference for the most people, including education for the future of work, entrepreneurship, and essential services, such as our support of and volunteer work with Team Rubicon, the veteran-led group dedicated to disaster recovery."

Ford Motor Company announced that it would no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index and various other "best places to work" lists.

The Human Rights Campaign responded by hinting at a boycott targeting Ford and stooped to name-calling against Starbuck.

"Today, Ford ABANDONED its values and commitments to an inclusive workplace, cowering to MAGA weirdo Robby Starbuck," the Human Rights Campaign said. "With the LGBTQ+ community wielding $1.4 TRILLION in spending power and 30% of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ+, we won’t forget this shortsighted decision and its impact."

Ford had a perfect 100 score on the HRC's Corporate Equity Index in 2023 and declared the automaker to be a "leader in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion."

The HRC bills its so-called Corporate Equity Index as "the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees."

The Human Rights Campaign was described as having a "leading role in Democratic Party politics and left-leaning activism" by InfluenceWatch — an organization that provides "accurate descriptions of all of the various influencers of public policy issues."

Regarding the memo, Ford told USA Today, "The communication to our global employees speaks for itself. We have nothing further to add."

Starbuck declared, "We are winning, and one by one we WILL bring sanity back to corporate America."

"What we want to do with this campaign is just make workplaces about work again with no divisive political or social issues," Starbuck added. "Some on the left may see sponsorship of a pride event as supporting a community but others see children being exposed to sexual content and find it wildly inappropriate for a workplace to sponsor. As a consumer, I can’t in good faith support a company that explicitly funds things that I’m morally opposed to."

Ford is the latest major company to rein back DEI commitments.

As Blaze News previously reported, Harley-Davidson rejected DEI commitments and also said it would no longer participate in the HRC's woke index.

Last month, Tractor Supply declared that it would no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign and would remove DEI positions and ditch its carbon emissions goals.

Also in July, farm equipment manufacturer John Deere announced it would no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events and would audit all training materials "to ensure the absence of socially-motivated messages" following a campaign organized by Starbuck.

Starbuck then took aim at exposing DEI commitments at Jack Daniel's and its parent company — Brown-Forman. Last week, Brown-Forman proclaimed that it would no longer participate in the HRC's Corporate Equality Index social credit system and would end "quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions" and ensure company goals are exclusively tied to productivity and not DEI initiatives.

This week, home improvement behemoth Lowe's discontinued some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments and dropped out of surveys for the Human Rights Campaign.

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Ford Abruptly Axes Electric SUV Plans Over Slowing Demand, Despite Billions from Biden-Harris Admin

Ford Motor Company announced Wednesday that it is canceling plans to develop an all-electric three-row SUV amid slowing consumer demand, despite the billions of dollars in tax incentives and direct subsidies the automaker has received to scale up EV production. The announcement—which the Michigan-based company characterized as a way in which it "broadens" its electrification […]

The post Ford Abruptly Axes Electric SUV Plans Over Slowing Demand, Despite Billions from Biden-Harris Admin appeared first on .

Ford kills electric SUV as EV division is on pace to lose $5.5 billion this year



Ford Motor Company announced that it is recalibrating its EV strategy over concerns about profitability, including scrapping an electric SUV.

Ford is canceling plans to manufacture a large, three-row electric SUV.

Ford chief executive officer Jim Farley said, "We loved our three-row crossover and I was so excited to show everyone the work we did. But there was just no way it would ever meet our criteria of being profitable.”

Ford will reduce future capital expenditure plans on pure EVs from 40% to 30%

Ford now plans to leverage hybrid technology for its next-generation three-row SUVs.

Ford forecasts smaller, cheaper EVs as the future, while hybrid technology will be utilized for powering larger vehicles.

“This is about us being nimble and listening to responses from our customers,” Ford vice chairman and CFO John Lawler said in a call on Wednesday. "Hybrid tech for those customers is the best solution."

Lawler added, "We've been out in the [EV] market here for over two years, and we’ve learned a lot, and what we’re understanding is that customers want more electrification choices.”

Lawler noted that Ford will reduce future capital expenditure plans on pure EVs from 40% to 30%. He did not provide a timeline for the reduction in fully electric vehicles.

"As we’ve learned in the marketplace, and we’ve seen where people have gravitated, we’re going to focus in where we have competitive advantage, and that’s on commercial land trucks and SUVs," Lawler stated.

Farley said in an interview, "This is a tremendous pivot for us, and we’re not going to make a tremendous pivot without doing a lot of homework to convince ourselves this is the exact right plan. I'm very confident.”

The Blue Oval said on Wednesday in a press release that the cancellation would cause Ford to take a special non-cash charge of about $400 million for writing down the value of manufacturing assets it will no longer use.

Ford also admitted that the strategy of embracing hybrids over fully electric cars could cost the company as much as $1.5 billion in additional expenses and cash expenditures.

Ford's EV division is on pace to lose as much as $5.5 billion this year, according to a Thursday report by Bloomberg.

Bloomberg reported in May, citing sources, that Ford was losing $100,000 for every electric car it delivered in the first quarter of 2024.

Ford also announced this week that its upcoming pickup truck, codenamed "T3," will be delayed two years to debut in 2027. The T3 pickup will be manufactured at Ford's $5.6 billion BlueOval City production facility in Tennessee, which is expected to open in 2025.

Ford stated that it still plans to introduce an all-new fully electric commercial van that will begin production in Ohio in 2026.

The car company said it plans to move some battery production next year for the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV from Poland to Holland, Michigan, to qualify for Inflation Reduction Act manufacturing tax credits.

"An important enabler to achieving that profitability is around the mix of the battery production that’s in the U.S. that’s going to qualify for the advanced manufacturing tax credit," Lawler explained. "That’s going to be a big part of our walk to profitability."

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy Department announced it had given a $9.2 billion conditional loan to a joint venture of Ford Motor and South Korea's SK On to build three battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Ford expects to begin manufacturing lower-cost lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries at the BlueOval Battery Park plant in Michigan starting in 2026.

Farley said the LFP battery will power their upcoming all-electric midsize pickup and would be cheaper to own and operate than a traditional internal combustion engine or hybrid model.

"It's a game-changing product from a cost-of-ownership standpoint," Farley declared. "If you are not competitive on battery cost, you are not competitive."

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Big Brother Ford awarded patent to snitch to cops when you speed



Ford, once an icon of American innovation, now wants to take the lead on another emerging and upcoming trend — mass surveillance.

In January 2023, Ford filed a patent application for a new technology that would allow it to track the driving behavior of vehicles on the road and report speeding violations to law enforcement. Vehicles would have cameras that activate if they detect speeding vehicles nearby and capture high-quality images of the offending vehicle and its identifying features, such as license plates or accessories attached to the offending car. Then, those images and GPS data would be shared with local law enforcement to decide whether to initiate a chase.

Many believe that these cameras violate drivers’ privacy. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that corporations and governments worldwide already have methods to spy on their citizens. Governments have been found to hack into private individuals’ phones through software provided by corporations, and the NSA admits to purchasing Americans’ sensitive data.

Local law enforcement has always partnered with corporations to surveil the public by installing cameras to detect speeding and running red lights. These cameras have come under fire for their questionable legality and efficacy, spurring some states to ban them.

Car makers already have a habit of violating drivers’ privacy. A New York Times reporter found that General Motors 'tricked millions of drivers into being spied on' by tracking detailed driving data and adjusting insurance rates accordingly; those with supposedly poor driving behavior would see their rates increase.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill to ban red-light cameras in 2019, two years after KXAN, an Austin-based NBC affiliate, reported that almost all cities with red-light cameras had illegally issued traffic tickets. Their investigation also found that drivers paid the city of Austin over $7 million in fines since the cameras were installed, and cities in Texas made over $500 million from the cameras since 2007.

For now, Ford’s new camera idea remains a patent application, so it's not certain whether we’ll see F-150s snitching on you for going five mph over the limit, even if Ford is granted the patent. But if it does become reality, we’ll probably see F-150s snitching on you for no reason at all. After all, if red-light cameras are faulty, why won’t Ford’s camera be?

A bad habit

Car makers already have a habit of violating drivers’ privacy. A New York Times reporter found that General Motors “tricked millions of drivers into being spied on” by tracking detailed driving data and adjusting insurance rates accordingly; those with supposedly poor driving behavior would see their rates increase.

As a result, lawmakers urged the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on car makers’ privacy violations. In a letter to the FTC, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) accused GM, Honda, and Hyundai of spying on drivers and selling data for pennies. In the letter, they claim that Honda sold data from 97,000 cars, at a rate of 26 cents per car, to Verisk, a data analytics provider for insurance companies, between 2020 and 2024. Between 2019 and 2024, Hyundai sold data from 1.7 million vehicles, at a rate of 61 cents per car, to Verisk.

“The FTC should hold accountable the automakers, which shared their customers’ data with data brokers without obtaining informed consent, as well as the data brokers, which resold data that had not been obtained in a lawful manner,” the two senators urged.

Car makers aren’t the only ones scheming to snitch on drivers, though. Popular apps like Life360, a location-sharing app popular for families with teens, are accused of selling families’ data to insurance companies. Despite being advertised as an app that helps improve families’ safety, it violates families’ privacy. In 2021, one former X-mode employee claimed, “Life360 had the ‘most valuable offerings due to the sheer volume and precision’ compared to other sources of data,” according to the Verge.

MyRadar, a weather forecast app, and GasBuddy, which finds the cheapest gas stations, are also accused of violating privacy for profit.

Some insurance companies are finding ways to gather driving data without buying it from someone else. Progressive, for example, has a product called the Progressive Snapshot. Drivers voluntarily attach the device to their vehicles, allowing Progressive to track their driving behavior. Each time the device detects a hard brake, it will beep, encouraging drivers to alter their behavior on the road.

Progressive claims that safe drivers will be rewarded with discounts, but it's uncertain whether it will benefit most drivers. People who work in big cities must deal with bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour, causing them to brake harder or unexpectedly. Even though frequent hard braking is out of their control, they may see their insurance rates increase.

Fortunately, Progressive Snapshot is a voluntary program. However, insurance companies already have ways to track driving behavior without alerting their customers. In an era that feels eerily similar to Orwell’s "1984," it's only a matter of time until all Americans realize they’re being spied on.

Biden's Energy Secretary CONFRONTED over Her LIES about Stock Trades

Biden's Energy Secretary CONFRONTED over Her LIES about Stock Trades