Patent application: Ford plans personalized advertising in its cars

According to a patent application from February 2024, Ford wants to display personalized advertising in its cars in the USA. According to the description in the document published at the end of last month, this would only require an additional program on the HMI (Human Machine Interface) of the vehicles. Similar to smartphones, conversations between vehicle occupants will serve as the basis for selecting advertisements, and the location of the vehicle and its history will also be included. The speed, type of road and current route planning could also be used for further refinement. The displays tailored to the occupants would then be shown on the central screen on the dashboard. The patent application states that "conversations are analyzed for keywords or phrases that indicate where the occupants are traveling." However, it does not describe how the collected data will be protected.

Wonderfully ambivalent

According to media reports from the USA, first in Motor1, The Record or in Digital Music News, Ford defended its request. The Record quotes a spokesperson as saying: "Filing patent applications in large companies is normal in order to protect new ideas and build a robust intellectual property portfolio. The ideas described should not be viewed as indicative of our business or product plans," and the wonderfully ambivalent phrase "you would always put the customer first when developing and commercializing new products." Back in early 2023, a Ford patent application triggered a fierce controversy. It provided for the vehicle to withdraw from owners who were late with their installments. Ford subsequently shelved this idea.

(fpi)