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Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

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Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#41

Post by wcarron »

Skunkleton wrote: post #37
wcarron wrote: post #19

Welp, guess I won't be purchasing the mustang I wanted. This has got to stop. Like the final paragraph states: If I pay for a vehicle in cash, I damn well don't feel like paying with my privacy and data, too. This is the very same reason I'll never use Windows. Telemetry is an invasion of privacy. It's also why the "right to repair" is such an important issue. Owners of cars (or any device, for that matter) should be…

As a current owner of a Mustang, and as a customer of Ford Credit, I will not be making another purchase if they go in this direction.

Shame, too. The 2019 Mustang GT with the PPL2 looks awesome. Oh well. There are other nice cars out there.

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#42

Post by switch007 »

softwaredoug wrote: post #5

I remember thinking GDPR was yet another intrusive EU bureaucratic exercise. Now I wish it was the norm in the US. I’m starting to think at a minimum it should be the floor of how data professionals ethically use user data.

I think it's early days to judge the effects of the GDPR. If websites are anything to go by, the primary effect on cars will be (if not already) pop ups on the touchscreen to agree to the new T&Cs.

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#43

Post by Deinos »

djrogers wrote: post #36
wcarron wrote: post #19

Welp, guess I won't be purchasing the mustang I wanted. This has got to stop. Like the final paragraph states: If I pay for a vehicle in cash, I damn well don't feel like paying with my privacy and data, too. This is the very same reason I'll never use Windows. Telemetry is an invasion of privacy. It's also why the "right to repair" is such an important issue. Owners of cars (or any device, for that matter) should be…

> If I pay for a vehicle in cash, I damn well don't feel like paying with my privacy and data, too. Well, to be fair all of the data the CEO was talking about wouldn’t be in play if you actually paid in cash - he specifically called out the data collected in the loan process, not data obtained from the vehicle itself. Of course slippery slopes are a thing for a reason...

In that case, I am sure they would be ok with a longer term and 0% APR at a minimum for the data provided...

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#44

Post by nighthawk1 »

Ford: Ford reiterated that it “will deliver on the company’s commitment of 100 percent connectivity of new vehicles in the United States by 2019"

I think an easy next step would be to display ads on the console when the vehicle is stopped. Would be fairly easy software wise and that ad model is already working with Waze.

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#45

Post by hi5eyes »

janesvilleseo wrote: post #9

It’s not just Ford. Here is an article about GM. This is just the beginning of how they will monetize their product. Well it’s not a product anymore it will transition into a service as car ownership fades away. Watch these ads for a reduced ride fee https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/17/17990052/gm-radio-listen...

verge also did a podcast with the head of ford https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-vergecast/e/5631243...?

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/17872198/ford-autonomous-...

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#46

Post by Sylos »

samfisher83 wrote: post #18

They see a google and facebook which are young companies which are worth more than every auto company in the world combined and they are tying to copy that. Most of these auto companies are 100+ years old and all together are worth less than google and facebook. Google and Facebook make almost all their money through ads.

Which I think is a dangerous train to be getting on.

The GDPR is likely only the first such law, other countries will also enact some form of privacy laws. And the first round of lawsuits from the GDPR are still underway. Once those have gone through, things should hopefully change quite a bit more still, as most companies are still in violation of the GDPR.

And if that all does go through, the business model of Google and Facebook is going to become much less profitable.

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#47

Post by Sylos »

pintxo wrote: post #4
Rainymood wrote: post #3

Just like any other good hackernews reader, I read the comments first and only then decide whether to read the article. As I read this post and there were no comments, I'll take the liberty of trying to provide a nice comment that might or might not induce you to read the rest of the article. Ford CEO Jim Hackett said this in a podcast: >“The issue in the vehicle, see, is: We already know and have data on our custome…

> we do that by ensuring transparency and appropriate consent in the collection and use of all customer data. I read this as: "We will make sure that we will hide deep down in the terms of service you consent to us selling you data to the highest bidder"

I'm especially curious how they plan to do that in the EU.

The GDPR requires that you separate your requests for consent for ads from the consent for stuff which is actually necessary to be provided the service.

If customers don't consent to their data being used for ads, you can't use it for ads, but you also can't blackmail them by not providing the service then.

Also, you as a company are responsible to have the customer understand what they're signing.

If all of these would be done correctly, why would anyone ever sign the consent sheet for you processing their data to show them ads? All they get out of this, is their personal data at risk of being leaked.

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#48

Post by JKCalhoun »

samfisher83 wrote: post #18

They see a google and facebook which are young companies which are worth more than every auto company in the world combined and they are tying to copy that. Most of these auto companies are 100+ years old and all together are worth less than google and facebook. Google and Facebook make almost all their money through ads.

They should try instead to copy Apple.

And make very nice hardware....

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#49

Post by brokenmachine »

SN76477 wrote: post #28

Transportation as a service is coming.

That's fine but it needs to be more appealing than private ownership if it's going to succeed.

ATM I'm quite happy to pay more to have a nice personal form of transport.

Public transport is slow, dirty and inconvenient. Uber and taxis are only ever so slightly less so. Car sharing cars are not as nice to drive as the one I own.

It would be awesome if there was a good alternative, but having my data mined or being subjected to ads in my own vehicle will never happen while I'm paying.

Re: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits

#50

Post by lawnchair_larry »

logfromblammo wrote: post #34
Rainymood wrote: post #3

Just like any other good hackernews reader, I read the comments first and only then decide whether to read the article. As I read this post and there were no comments, I'll take the liberty of trying to provide a nice comment that might or might not induce you to read the rest of the article. Ford CEO Jim Hackett said this in a podcast: >“The issue in the vehicle, see, is: We already know and have data on our custome…

Not just Ford and Ford Credit. Never use dealer financing. You will always get a better deal through a bank that makes car loans, or your credit union. At the very least, via the haggling leverage in being able to keep secret the maximum amount you can afford to pay. You may also get better terms on the note, but even a higher interest loan could be a better deal, if the principal is negotiated to a lower amount. You…

You’re definitely buying cars wrong. It doesn’t matter one bit if they know my budget. Cars are a buyers market and sales businesses are hungry to close every deal they can. I don’t need a car, but they do need to sell one. And if I decide I want one, I have the choice of buying from any dealer I want.

Also, you’re incorrect about dealer financing. It’s often, but not always, a far better deal than anything you can get from a lender, because the manufacturer buys down the rate in order to move more product. 0% financing is common, and no bank would give you that. Depending on monthly dealer incentives, you do sometimes forego a purchase price rebate by opting for the financing, so it pays to weigh both options. But, those cash buyer incentives are getting far less common because they destroy the used market.

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